Demons & Angels: Part II
by Clouded-Days
Summary: Sequel to Demons & Angels. AU. 9 months have passed. A group is making secret plans to hunt them both down but they don't know... It turns out other things are happening, being discovered, & other plans are being made as well...COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Hey peoples! Check it out! It's the SEQUEL. Cheyeah. :D

Anyway, there's been a time jump of 9 months since the end of the first story, just to let you know. :D

NOTE: If you haven't read the first story, this may not make much sense to you. To make things more clear, it would be a good idea to first go and read the first one before reading this.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

"_They say he's with an angel now."_

"_Why? He's a demon…"_

"_He must care, otherwise that angel would be dead by now."_

"_Good. Target the angel…and then…everything else will fall into place."_

_-_

_/September 2nd…/_

They always say that autumn is beautiful. And it was the truth…

The leaves had turned into vibrant shades of red and brown, late afternoon sun reflecting off the surface of the lake, the previously bright green grass now covered with multiple colored leaves. The garden was growing quickly, producing quite a lot.

There was only one thing different that usual…

"Happy birthday, Ryou."

Ryou's mouth fell open as he opened the front door, frozen for a second, staring at the decorated room, streamers hanging from the ceiling, an occasional balloon here and there. He slowly closed the door behind himself as Bakura ran over beside him, draping an arm across his shoulders. "Well?"

"You…did all of this…?"

"Yep." Bakura replied with a grin, his fingers trailing over one of the blue streamers hanging from the ceiling. "Oh, that's not all."

Ryou followed Bakura into the kitchen, sitting down as Bakura placed a cake down on the kitchen table. "You made that by yourself?"

Bakura nodded silently, looking at the floor. "It actually…took me three tries…" He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

Ryou smiled, staring at the candles. He shut his eyes, pondering for a moment, and then reopened them, blowing them out.

Bakura grinned, heading over to the stairs. "Stay right there. I'll be right back."

Ryou blinked, shrugging it off, and stuck his fork into to the cake, pulling off a chunk of the blue frosted food and putting it into his mouth. _…Oh wow. This is really good…_

Bakura started down the stairs, jumping right over the edge, landing silently on the floor, his hands behind his back. Ryou blinked at him, rather surprised at the small box that was placed in hands.

"Open it."

Ryou tore off the paper, lifting the lid, breath catching in his throat. "Oh…"

"It matches, eh?"

Ryou removed it from the box, lifting it up to his eye level. _A ring…_

The middle was a circle, a heart in the center of it. On both sides, there were other pieces attached, which looked like wings. One black and one white…

"Where did you get this?"

"That's my secret," Bakura replied with a grin.

Ryou quickly slipped it on.

"I'm glad you like it," Bakura said, leaning on the table.

* * *

"…Ah…Bakura, look!" Ryou called, trying not to be too loud.

"What?" The demon asked, coming up beside him. But he soon noticed what the angel was talking about.

Rabbits.

"Aren't they cute?"

"Ryou, you do realize that they're only going to wind up eating all of your carrots, right?"

"Oh well…I don't like carrots much anyway," Ryou replied, daring to take a step closer. The balls of fluff instantly looked at him.

Bakura frowned. "Ryou, they're wild. They're only going to run from you."

"No they won't," Ryou whispered, his eyes catching one of the white animals curiously coming just a little closer.

Bakura sighed, going inside, but came back a few minutes later, and slapped a carrot into Ryou's hand. "There. Happy?"

"Yes."

Taking just an inch forward, Ryou held the vegetable outward; it got a few stares. _Come on…_

Ryou held back his excitement as one of them came closer and closer, curiously, slowly, going up to Ryou. Ryou's hand began to tremble; he forced it to stay still. The animal seemed to snatch the carrot away from Ryou, happily munching on it.

A smile played across Ryou's lips. He dared to reach out, his fingers brushing over its fur, feather light. He was actually shocked that the rabbit allowed him to pet it. _Maybe it doesn't sense any danger…_

After eating most of Ryou's offering, the small ball of fluff merely moved back towards the plants.

Ryou stood back up, smiling. "See? I told you it wouldn't run. You just have to be gentle and patient and let them know you're not going to hurt them."

"Humph. Whatever," Bakura grumbled, going back inside. _Of course they didn't run from Ryou. He's soft and gentle and wouldn't hurt anything…_

_Unlike me..._

* * *

"_They say they live in the same abode nowadays."_

"_Perhaps that will make them easier to catch…"_

"_They look just about exactly the same… There seems to be a connection to the two blondes we sent out a long time ago."_

"_Yes…that does seem…peculiar." A pause. "Do we have any news from those we sent?"_

"_No, sir. Messages only say they're still looking." Another pause. "I've heard some rumors… Plans to overthrow the Leader… They say he kills anyone in his way."_

"_Then why not that stupid angel?"_

"_He must care about that runt then… From what I've heard, they met on the war campus, and started hanging around each other more and more until they were always beside each other… It makes me sick."_

"_A disgrace of a demon, no?"_

"_Yes. Also, I've heard that when the angel was in his Ceremony, the demon saved his life. Twice. Two Ceremonies have already been put into chaos."_

"_Oh, is that so? Then we'll have to make things more…difficult."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_-_

"Bakura? Umm…are you hungry?"

"No," Bakura replied flatly, his dark orbs narrowed, a book in his hand. "…There's a full moon out tonight," he said after a few minutes, his eyes narrowing even more, but he didn't look up.

"…Oh…" Ryou murmured, sitting down beside Bakura on the couch. "Umm…y-you know if you…umm…need the blood…umm y-you…can use me," he stammered, turning a shade of pink.

Bakura grumbled to himself, standing up, placing his book on the arm of the couch. "I'll be back in a few minutes…"

Bakura shut the door behind himself, snatching up a glass and filling it to the brim with water. Rummaging through the cabinets he reached into the very back, pulling out a small, black can, taking out two of the pills, and dropping them into his drink. He merely watched, frowning, as the water began to turn into a murky color, the entire clear substance turning blood red. His eyes glanced to the can, reading the label. _Blood tablets. Limit: 2/night._

Bakura raised the glass to his lips, his eyes narrowed and dark. _It's never the same…it never…satisfies me… _He thought silently, taking a rather large swig from the glass. _Angel blood…is so much better…and these stupid tablets…are never…enough._

Slamming the empty glass down onto the counter, Bakura flung the door open, the taste strong in his mouth, as he stormed back into the living room, but walked right past Ryou.

"Hey! Where are you-"

Bakura froze as Ryou grabbed his arm. The demon narrowed his eyes, yanking his arm free. "Leave me alone."

Ryou blinked, quickly grabbing his arm again, "Please. Don't be like this. Talk to me, at least…"

"No. Leave me alone!" Bakura yelled, pulling free again and storming towards the door.

"Bakura-"

Ryou's eyes widened as the demon staggered, placing a hand to the wall, his other going to his forehead. Bakura growled to himself, his fingers tightening. He could hear his pulse in his ears, his heart beginning to beat faster, the senses steadily climbing, yet all he could to was struggle to resist, the pain rising quickly.

_They're…not…nearly…enough…_

"B…Bakura…?" Ryou asked quietly, gently touching his shoulder.

"G…Get…away…" Bakura muttered, hands clutching the area about his heart. _They said…taking them…would help…but now…it only makes me want more…_

_And I can't take it anymore…_

Ryou's eyes widened even more as Bakura whirled around, grabbing his wrists, and threw the angel into the wall with a strong amount of force, leaning in towards Ryou. "…B…B…Bakura…?"

The demon grinned at him, fangs curving out from his mouth, fingernails digging into Ryou's skin, eyes darkening. Bakura's fingers were tightening so much that Ryou thought his bones would break.

"W…What are-…"

Bakura's grip shifted to his shoulders, pushing him up even further against the wall. "…I said before…it will only hurt for a minute or two…"

Ryou tried to pull away, but froze, feeling the fangs pierce his skin. He felt his frame beginning to tremble, Bakura fingers tightening even more, greedily drinking the angel's blood.

Ryou whimpered softly, starting to feel lightheaded, trying to pull away, but stopped when he felt Bakura bite down harder, his fangs sinking in deeper.

It seemed like hours to Ryou when Bakura finally pulled away. The angel's body was shaking horribly, feeling terribly lightheaded. He clasped a hand about the bleeding area of his throat, feeling blood trickling down. "Y…You…"

Bakura grinned, moving Ryou's hand away. "Now, now…we can't let any of _this _go to waste…" He murmured, licking Ryou's neck, lapping up the blood that was trickling down. The angel whimpered, tears pricking his eyes.

Bakura moved away, blood smeared across his throat and his lips, his shirt collar stained from the crimson substance. Wiping the blood away with his shirt sleeve, Bakura grinned, revealing bloodstained canines.

Ryou sunk to the floor, his legs no longer able to support his weight. His body merely continued to shake, horribly, as he fell backwards, barely even conscious due to the blood he lost.

Bakura merely scooped him up in his arms.

Ryou shuddered. "Put me down…"

"Hmm? Why? So you can just lay down on the floor, unable to move?"

"Please…just put me down…" Ryou whispered, starting to cry in Bakura's arms.

Bakura blinked, going up the stairs, towards Ryou's bedroom. "…I will," He muttered, the vampire senses beginning to die.

Opening the door to the angel's bedroom, Bakura moved over towards the bed, gently setting Ryou down, taking a brief moment to bandage the spot on his throat. Ryou was still crying, shaking terribly, obviously afraid.

"…I'm sorry…" Bakura whispered, staring at the floor. "I'm…too weak to be able to control my vampire image…" He stood up, going towards the door. "I wouldn't blame you if you don't forgive me. And I'm not asking you to… I just…want you to know that I'm sorry for what I've just done to you…"

Ryou blinked, watching as the door closed.

Bakura put a hand to his forehead, the taste of Ryou's blood hugely strong in his mouth, having his fill of blood. _I'm so stupid! Why didn't I run from him or something? Why didn't I tell him? Instead I only scared him and drunk his blood like an animal…_

_Curse it. And curse me for being so pathetic and weak and idiotic…_

* * *

Chapter 1: End.

So what do you guys think of it so far?

Chapter 2 will be coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's chapter 2 for you guys. :D

Okies. So I've started to rewrite one of the fanfics...hopefully I won't get stuck like I did last time. -sweatdrops-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

"_We've found the coordinates."_

"_Good. Send them out."_

"_Right away, sir."_

"_I want them both, and they have to be alive."_

"_Understood."_

_-_

Bakura paused, pressing an ear to the door. He could nothing coming from inside. Taking a deep breath, the demon knocked upon the door with his knuckles. "Ryou? Can I come in?"

No response.

"Ryou, please. I need to talk to you…"

To his relief, he heard shuffling, and then the door opened, Ryou staring at the floor. "What do you want?"

"I have to talk to you…about…earlier…"

Ryou sighed and opened the door wider, then went back into his room, flopping down on the bed. Bakura walked inside, shutting the door, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"…Vampires drink blood for their food. But it's not that easy. If we try to resist, it only makes things hurt… I was trying to get away from you. I didn't want to hurt you…

"…Vampires…have a choice…to either bite the living…and take their blood…or use these pills that are full of blood, made specifically for vampire uses, or for medical treatment.

"They say consuming just two a night should make your crave disappear. But there's a problem. I've taken these pills more times than I can count…but no matter what…once I take them…it only makes me want more and more blood…"

Ryou bit his lip. "Umm…is it possible…for a vampire to drink too much blood?"

"There have been rumors…of vampires who usually drink up an entire person until they had no blood left…" Bakura paused. "When I was at this one camp, the teenagers were discussing some rumors as well…saying that a vampire they knew drank an angel dry and wound up dying because his veins basically burst because he couldn't contain all of the blood he drank…" Bakura narrowed his eyes. "But those are just rumors."

"…Do you have any truth?"

"Yes…" Bakura shifted, lying down onto his back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "There's a thing called a "Pureblood vampire", which means the creature is only filled with vampire blood. Those are the rare ones. Normal vampires have other drops of blood, demon or human or even rarely, angel…"

"Angels can be vampires?"

"If certain conditions are met, anyone can be transformed into a vampire." Bakura paused. "…Vampires can transform into bats. Or merely just look like normal people, but when their senses are triggered, the vampire within them comes right out. And they don't have a reflection…

"Elite vampires have special powers. The power depends on the vampire, though. They say vampires are gifted with superior intelligence and physical abilities…"

Ryou seemed to be taking it all in like a sponge takes in water, understanding perfectly. "How do you kill a vampire?"

"…Sunlight does damage; it may burn their skin or make them feel pain, but most do not die so easily. They say crosses and garlic… But…I believe in guns: special guns…that exist for the main reason of killing vampires…"

Ryou hesitated. "What about you?"

Bakura didn't speak for a while. "…I've struggled to stay away from places with heavy scents of blood. There was a time…when my group…we basically became drunk of the scent of blood…when we were on a battlefield once. We wound up drinking so much blood things got a bit…out of control. I started to take those blood pills to hold back my wants…but soon…those pills weren't nearly enough. My crave for blood still remained…and I forced myself not to fall in…I mean bit people and everything, but I had to hold back, and tried not to take in too much blood. Having so many wounded people around you, spilling blood, and the scent is so powerful about you…it's very difficult not to bite and drink the blood of every person there that is bleeding…"

Ryou hesitated. "…What about…before? You know, times right before I met you?"

Bakura sighed. "I did my best to convince the people around me to let me go on day patrol…for the better. But even during the day, my senses would start to trigger…and then the scent of blood passed…so strongly. My eyes only saw the crimson. And the senses only grew higher. But I fought to hold them back. I paid the price for it though; dealing with so much pain and having your body start to fight against your will…it was difficult. A few times…I did fall in to my vampire image…and wound up biting and drinking the blood of more people than I needed to. Marik had to literally drag me off the field and snap me out of it…"

Bakura looked at Ryou with dark, narrowed eyes. "You see some of the disadvantages of having drops of vampire blood within you? If you can't get under control, things get ugly."

"…But…I think it's interesting…" Ryou protested. "I mean it's dangerous and everything, but being a vampire sounds…really cool."

A small grin appeared on Bakura's lips, "You'd think so…"

* * *

"_They've been sent. Messages read they're less than a hundred away."_

"_Good. Tell them I want that demon under heavy material. That angel: merely use chains on him. He's weak…he won't be able to break free."_

"_Understood, sir. Anything else?"_

"…_Yes. I would like you to get in contact with those two blondes from so long ago."_

"_Do you have a message for them, sir?"_

"…_Ask them…if they remember an odd pair: an identical angel and demon, both albino. And tell me immediately what the response is."_

"_Understood, sir."_

_-_

_I understand. And I forgive him. It wasn't his fault._

_But he has been acting rather strange lately…_

Ryou smiled to himself, his arms full of things from the garden. He was near sopping wet from the rain outside. Setting them in the sink he called out, "Bakura?"

No answer.

Perplexed, Ryou turned off the water, wandering through the house, calling the demon's name. He received no answer.

Going to the front door, he poked his head outside, calling again.

Nothing.

Sighing, Ryou snagged his jacket and slipped it on, and went outside. Calling Bakura's name, Ryou wandered about, rather relieved when he found Bakura sitting in a tree.

"Bakura! Hey! What are you doing up there?"

The demon didn't appear to notice or hear him.

Grumbling, Ryou jumped upwards, his hands snagging a branch. He pulled himself upwards, having to climb only a little ways upwards before reaching the spot where Bakura was.

"…Bakura? Hey…" Ryou touched his shoulder gently, "Come on…you need to come inside." Bakura said nothing. "Hey, are you okay…?" Ryou asked quietly, trying to get the demon to look at him. A small gasp passed Ryou's lips, his hands instantly moving away. "Y…You're bleeding…"

Bakura looked at him, but said nothing.

"Come on. You're going to get sick if you stay out here," Ryou said, taking Bakura's arm, and pulled the demon with him out of the tree, landing lightly on the ground.

Basically dragging the demon along, Ryou led him back to the house, opening the front door, and shut it behind, hanging his jacket on the hook in the wall. Grabbing Bakura's arm again, Ryou led the demon into the bathroom. Bakura didn't even appear to notice what was happening; he just kept staring ahead with dark eyes.

Ryou swallowed uneasily. _There's something wrong. _Ryou released the demon's arm. Gently, Ryou forced him to sit on the edge of the bathtub, and as soft as he could, removed the demon's shirt.

Ryou stopped, noticing the cuts that lined his slender frame. "What happened…?" He asked quietly, his eyes drifting to the rather large engrave in the man's shoulder.

No answer.

"Bakura…what's the matter?" Ryou asked quietly, but he already knew he wouldn't receive an answer. Ryou hesitated, but lifted a wet washcloth, gently wiping away the blood.

"Bakura, please, talk to me…" Ryou murmured, "Tell me what's wrong…"

The demon's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing, and remained motionless.

"_Please, _Bakura…" Ryou said again, his eyes shining with worry. "I just want to help you…"

Bakura's hands twitched, and slowly, his fingers curled about Ryou's shirt. His dark eyes narrowed a little more, and he slowly released Ryou, looking at the floor.

Ryou's eyes caught a red spot appearing through the demon's jeans. Turning red slightly, Ryou eased Bakura's jeans down just about an inch, revealing a deep cut, right beneath the old stitches from so long ago.

"…What happened…?" Ryou looked up at Bakura with worried-filled eyes. "Please, Bakura…tell me…"

_I can't…_

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura got to his feet and ran out of the room. "Bakura, wait!" Ryou yelled, racing after him. Ryou was right behind as Bakura went up the stairs, but before he got a chance, Bakura ran into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. Ryou heard the lock turn.

"…Bakura…"

No answer.

With a sigh of defeat, Ryou moved away from the door, going back downstairs.

Bakura collapsed instantly onto his bed, his dark eyes narrowing even further, the cuts on his thin frame slowly beginning to bleed again. _I don't know how I can tell him..._

* * *

"_Sir, we have the message."_

"_Oh?"_

"_They both remember them. The demon one said that the two had been caught in a blizzard months ago during December, and that the angel had wound up getting frostbite. The two demons are friends I suppose. The angel blonde…he says that he knows the other angel, but once that albino angel began to hang around his demon friend, things went downhill for their friendship…"_

"_Hmm. Tell them…that some people from the party will arrive at their dwellings…and that it is needed for them to come here."_

"_Urgent?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Understood…"_

* * *

Chapter 2: End.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all of the support and reviews everyone! You guys are so AWESOME. :D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

So, here's chapter 3. :D

* * *

Angry, dark eyes narrowed. Bakura's fingers tightened on the small knife in his hands, and threw it with perfect accuracy, into the dartboard that hung on his wall, hitting dead center.

He felt like screaming.

The anger in the demon's eyes grew as they narrowed even further. Swearing under his breath, his hands clenched, and he threw an angry glare to the door. It was now unlocked, and he could hear the handle turning.

"…Bakura…"

The demon didn't look at Ryou, fists tightening. "…What do you want?" he growled, gaze wandering elsewhere.

"…I…just…wanted to see if…you were okay…" Ryou said quietly. "You acted really…strange earlier. I just wanted to-"

"Get out."

"…W…What?" Ryou asked, taken aback.

"I said get out of my room," Bakura hissed, fingers curling about another tiny knife before hurling it at the dartboard, the little weapon hitting it right beside the first knife, right in the center.

There was nothing but silence.

Bakura glanced at the doorway, seeing Ryou still standing there, his head bowed, his shoulders hunched. Merely pushing it aside, Bakura was about to throw another knife when Ryou's voice rang through the room.

"What's your _problem?" _Ryou screamed, hands clenching up into fists. "All I'm trying to do is _help you!"_

Bakura merely ignored him.

Angry tears sprung into Ryou's eyes. "I know you can talk, so why won't you answer me? What did I do to you? Huh?!" Ryou yelled, storming over to the bed where the demon was laying. Looming over Bakura like a shadow, Ryou continued to yell. "You never acted like this before, so why now? Why are you treating me like this when I didn't even _do anything to you?!"_

When Bakura didn't answer, Ryou literally pounced on the bed, grabbing Bakura's shirt and slammed him into the mattress. Bakura's eyes widened, surprised at what the angel had done and the force he was using. Ryou never had this much force…

"WELL?!" Ryou was screaming at the top of his lungs, fingers tightening on Bakura's shirt. Not receiving an answer, Ryou's fingers tightened even more as he slammed Bakura down harder, angry tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "ANSWER ME!"

Bakura didn't respond, merely staring up at Ryou.

The angel's knuckles were solid white, his right hand releasing Bakura's shirt. Ryou angrily slapped the demon, hard, across his cheek. The force made the man's head turn to one side, his eyes wide with shock from Ryou's actions.

Ryou was beginning to cry now, sitting on top of Bakura, fingers still clutching the demon's shirt. A red mark was on Bakura's cheek. Bakura's head turned, now looking up at Ryou. Tears were racing down the angel's face, his chocolate eyes up to the brim with anger, sadness, and confusion.

"R…Ryou…" Bakura muttered, raising a hand, and gently touched him.

Ryou cringed and instantly tore away, getting up quickly, and ran from the room, still crying.

Bakura merely stared up at the ceiling, now all alone in the room.

Stomping into his bedroom, Ryou slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it. He began to sob, and shut his eyes, wrapping his arms about himself. _Why?!_

Ryou angrily tore off the rings that were on his fingers, the one from the time Bakura had robbed the store and had given it to him, and the one from his birthday, and angrily threw them across the room.

As if in pain, Ryou began to scream, a fresh wave of tears spilling from his mocha orbs, and rewrapped his arms about his shaking form, screaming at the top of his lungs.

And then, finally, Ryou just couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't cry and longer, nor could he scream anymore…

Collapsing onto his bed, Ryou fell instantly into a troubled sleep.

* * *

Bakura gloomily sat in the chair, right in front of the large window in his room. His eyes were narrowed and dark, the normal scowl once more across his face. The redness from the spot where Ryou had slapped him was gone, but in its place, a bruise had formed.

He was already deep in thought…

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ryou was doing his work, like always, though he was a bit slower than usual. And his eyes seemed clouded over…

_Things like this always happen. We'll be happy and peaceful and then something happens and it all shatters. And then we have to rebuild it. Why does-_

Ryou's thoughts shattered as pain sliced through his arm. He jolted back into the real world, quickly jerking backwards, his lower arm splattered with a burn from the stove.

Wincing, Ryou turned the water on, placing his arm under the water. The liquid soothed, but yet the mark on his arm still burned a bit. _I guess I should start paying attention a bit more…_

Turning the water off, Ryou resumed his cooking, staring blankly down at the food in front of him. Tears swelled up in his eyes, and he was a bit surprised as the tears began to fall.

_Why am I crying?_

Ryou shook his head, wiping his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. He _couldn't _stop…

Whimpering, Ryou turned the burner off, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table. His shoulders started to tremble, and he buried his face in his hands as the tears began to come even faster, his cries only turning into sobs.

In his room, Bakura rose from his seat, walking towards the door. He paused, however, to look at his reflection in the mirror.

He was still not wearing a shirt, though he had put his trench coat on. The coat was open, revealing the demon's chest and his stomach, and dark jeans were pulled up to his waist. The cuts were fading away into nothingness, but the engraves in his shoulder and about the area his stitches still remained. His hair fell partially over his dark, narrowed eyes, and cascaded down and over his shoulders, flowing down his back where it came to a stop only inches above his waist, snow-white in color. His finger had a black ring fixed about it, also robbed from the same store Ryou's had come from. Despite the fact nothing was going on, his sword was still hanging about his waist.

Bakura's hand pressed against the glass. _And when I transform…you can see the canines lengthening as the luster appears in my eyes…and then the image…fades away completely…_

Going to his door, Bakura yanked it open, nearly ripping it off its hinges as he near raged down the staircase. He paused, however, when he heard noise.

_Crying?_

Bakura eased himself about the wall, poking his head into the kitchen. His eyes widened, however, at the sight.

There were spots of crimson on the floor, and Ryou was sobbing.

The demon immediately went up to Ryou, the angel hanging over the sink, crying his heart out, clutching the lower section of his arm.

Bakura's eyes widened even further at the sight of Ryou's arm. It was slit open, blood near pouring out and into the sink.

"Ryou, what happened? What did you do?"

Bakura's eyes caught the bloodied knife on the counter, a batch of vegetables lying forgotten on the counter, a cucumber already halfway cut up.

Ryou gasped in pain, trying to bite back the tears. His entire arm was quivering, his life fluid flowing out and into the sink.

Bakura swore under his breath, racing across the room, digging through the cabinets, and pulled out a roll of bandages. He quickly wiped away the blood that was flowing over Ryou's skin, and speedily tied a few bandages about the angel's arm.

"You cut yourself?"

Ryou shook his head, clutching his bandaged arm, staring at the floor. "I…I did…but…I didn't do it on purpose…" Ryou muttered, his tears racing down his cheeks.

Ryou shook his head again, muttering to himself, "I'm…I'm scared…" Ryou choked out, his grasp tightening. "I can't…I can't stop…"

Bakura hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I…I…I can't…stop crying…" Ryou hiccupped, wiping his eyes, "A-And…I keep spacing out…t…that's how my arm got slit…" He near whispered, trying his best to stop crying. "A-And…and…"

Bakura's eyes widened as Ryou pitched forward; the demon quickly caught him. Ryou's entire frame was shaking madly now, the angel barely conscious. Perplexed, Bakura glanced into the sink, his eyes widening at how much blood was in it. _No wonder he's so weak right now…_

Ryou was sobbing in Bakura's arms, looking as if he was about to faint at any second. Ryou strained to bite back a fresh wave of tears, but failed, the substance spilling over.

Bakura's eyes widened even further, near the size as grapes now, as Ryou screamed aloud, the angel's fingers grabbing hold of Bakura's coat and holding onto it as he screamed.

Ryou fell into a dead faint in Bakura's arms, going limp. Bakura stood there for a few minutes, his brain still trying to register what had just happened. Sighing, he lifted Ryou from the floor, still in his arms, and carried him upstairs. "Fine…we can talk about it when you wake up…"

* * *

_It's…so warm…_

Ryou's eyes flickered open, finding himself in his bed, the covers drawn up to his neck. He found himself alone. Whimpering, he forced himself to sit upright, gasping as pain shot through his arm. He nearly collapsed back down onto the bed, but managed to stay upright. His gaze lifted at the sound of the door opening.

"Ryou…"

The angel was perplexed at the tone. It sounded relieved…but somehow, at the same time…it was filled with seriousness and a touch of anger and worry…

Ryou watched Bakura's every move. The demon sat down on the edge of the bed, his weight making the mattress crease a little.

"…Here."

Bakura slipped a mug into Ryou's hands. The angel looked down at it, and then up at Bakura.

"Drink it."

By the tone Bakura was using, Ryou knew it was no time to argue, so he began to drink the liquid from inside the glass.

"…Now…I wanted to talk to you…" Bakura muttered, staring at the floor.

Ryou's fingers tightened on the glass he was holding.

"I…know I've been…umm…stubborn, I guess, lately…and I-…" Bakura stopped immediately as Ryou began to cry. "…R…Ryou?"

The angel shook his head, wiping his eyes, yet continued to cry. "I…I…"

Bakura mentally kicked himself. _This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't acted the way I did earlier!_

"Ryou…" Bakura murmured, placing a hand on the angel's shoulder, gently. "…I'm here so we can talk about everything. And if it takes all day, then let it. I just want everything to go back…and I don't want to see you like this anymore…"

* * *

Chapter 3: End.


	4. Chapter 4

Woah. Two updates in one day. I'm on a roll. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Thanks to the readers and extra thanks to the reviewers! -hands out cookies- You guys always give out so much support...you're awesome, all of you. :D

* * *

"I…I…" Ryou shook his head, trailing off into silence.

The angel went stiff instantly as Bakura's hands were placed on his shoulders. He swallowed uneasily, one hand clutching the soft fabrics on the bed, his other curling up into a fist, tears racing down his cheeks.

"…Talk to me, Ryou."

"Why should I?" Ryou muttered bitterly. "When you were the one who was silent, I tried to get you to speak, but you only pushed me away…"

"Ryou, I-"

"I was worried sick about you! You only ran from me without even telling me what was going on! Do you have any _idea _how helpless I felt? How pathetic and weak and upset I was?! And then you did it again! How am I supposed to help you when you keep _pushing me away?!"_

Ryou was breathing heavily from his yelling, glaring at Bakura, but he was still crying a little.

"Eh?" Bakura leaned closer, frowning. "Why are you glaring at me?"

Ryou narrowed his eyes a little. "Were you even listening?!"

"Ryou, calm down-"

"I don't _have _to calm down! Why should I?!" Ryou was screaming again, tears beginning to slip down his cheeks once again. "How about _you _calm down-"

"_Ryou."_

"No! Don't touch me!" Ryou screamed, jerking away from Bakura's grip.

"_Ryou…" _Bakura growled, his patience beginning to wear thin. He grabbed Ryou's shoulders again, but the angel only pulled against him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The angel froze as Bakura hit him, the demon's eyes angry and narrowed. Ryou clenched his teeth in pain, and to Bakura's shock, hit the demon back, rather hard. Bakura's eyes flashed in anger, narrowing even further.

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura grabbed his shirt, throwing him down, flat onto his back. Ryou strained to get free, but Bakura well overpowered him. Bakura's hands tightened, pinning Ryou down, his eyes filled with anger. "Who do you think you are?" He growled, his knuckles turning white.

Ryou didn't answer, frozen with fear.

Bakura growled low in his throat, drawing back his fist. Ryou shut his eyes, expecting to for the demon's hand to collide with his face, but instead, it slammed down right beside him, and into the pillow, not even an inch from his face.

Ryou whimpered, desperately trying to push Bakura off of him. Bakura released him, looking away with narrowed eyes. _This isn't working as well as I hoped…_

To his surprise, Ryou spoke. "…You always act like you don't need anyone to help you…" The angel took a quivering breath. "And when you do that, things always get worse… And I always feel so…helpless…and pathetic, and weak…because usually, by then, things are too far out of hand…and then something bad always happens…"

Bakura didn't answer.

"A-And then…then…it always gets worse…I…I get so upset…I…I always…get so _scared_, Bakura…I…I'm so afraid…that…that…things will only go too far…and something really bad will happen to you. I…I'm always afraid…that you'll get killed…or…or that you're going to leave…and…and…I'm always afraid that I'll wind up being alone…"

Bakura felt a pang of guilt as Ryou began to cry again. _All this time…it's been all my fault! Ryou…has been worrying himself to death about me…and…then I only push him out and away, just because I don't feel like I can talk to him… It only makes him feel worse!_

Bakura hesitated, but slowly, placed his hands on Ryou's shoulders. The angel let him, his head bowed as he cried.

"…Ryou…I'm sorry…" He murmured, feeling Ryou only slightly relax. "…I…guess you're right…sometimes…I really hate it when someone tries to help me, when they think they know what's going on when they really don't. I get…kind of…" Bakura took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "…I'm…really sorry about it…I…didn't know I was making you deal with so much pain…" Bakura took another breath. "…Umm…about earlier…I…didn't really know how to tell you…and then you kept trying to help…I guess…I got…a bit…irritated…"

Ryou nodded silently, his shoulders trembling, trying to stop crying. "W-What…didn't you…know how to tell me?"

_Crap… _"…I…got a letter in the mail…"

Ryou looked up. He had managed to stop crying, though his eyes still shone with the substance.

_Crap…this isn't good… _"It…was from one of the co-leaders…"

Ryou froze. _No… _"W-Which one…?"

"…The military signed for it…but there's almost five different ones signed in the letter…"

_No! No, no, no… This can't be happening… _Ryou strained to bite back tears. "W-What did it say…?"

"Basically…it said we either give up, or they'll use their own methods…and they said they want an answer by tomorrow…" Bakura bit lip as Ryou's shoulders began to tremble. "Umm…Ryou…that's…not all…"

* * *

"_They said they've gotten in contact with Marik and Malik. Not only that, but the co-leaders for military, ceremony registry, and a few others, they say that they already have their methods sorted out…"_

"_What methods?" Ryou asked uneasily, feeling uncomfortable._

"…_They didn't say exactly, but they did say it'll be impossible for us to escape, and if anything goes wrong, we're in positions to be tortured and/or killed…"_

The conversation was replaying in Ryou's mind. He was wide-awake, though it was about two in the morning. He felt sick to his stomach, beyond nervous and upset. He heard his door open, and flinched, his heart skipping a beat.

It was just Bakura.

"…You can't sleep either, huh?" The demon asked, coming inside and sat down on the edge of Ryou's bed, his sword hanging at his waist. He had sent the letter back out, saying they weren't going to give up without a fight.

Ryou shook his head, sitting upright.

There was silence between them for a few minutes before Ryou spoke up. "B…Bakura…I…I'm scared," he whispered, using a tone that resembled a child that had woken up to a horrible nightmare. Ryou tightened his grasp on the blankets, staring down at the bed. "I…I'm scared…" He said again, tears pricking his eyes.

Bakura felt a tinge of guilt as Ryou's shoulders began to shake as the angel tried his hardest to hold back his tears. "…It's okay…" Bakura murmured, "I'm here, aren't I? I won't let anything happen to us, all right?"

Ryou nodded slightly, whimpering as he wiped his eyes.

* * *

Ryou jolted instantly back into wakefulness at the crash. Bakura came thundering into his bedroom, sweat beginning to show on his throat. "Ryou, it's happening…"

The angel swallowed, already wearing his jacket. Bakura stood in the doorway, his hand on his sword. "No matter what happens, you stay up here, understood?"

Ryou nodded slowly, not making eye contact. Bakura left the room, and Ryou could hear him running downstairs. Another crash near shook the whole house. Ryou stood, going over to one corner, and picked up the two rings that he had thrown across the room before, slipping them back onto his fingers. _I can't promise you that, though, Bakura…_

Bakura gritted his teeth, his back against the front door, trying his best to keep them outside. _This isn't good… _He wiped his forehead, which was covered in sweat, with his sleeve, pushing harder against the door.

_I don't have a choice._

Bakura quickly ran from the door, hiding behind the stairs, out of sight, his hands clutching his sword so tight that his knuckles were solid white. From his hiding place, he watched as the door burst open, nearly being ripped off of its hinges in the process.

About five or so people in blue informs entered the room, frowning. Most of them had their backs towards Bakura, and the demon listened in complete silence.

"He's here somewhere. Otherwise we would've been able to bust the door down on the first few tries…"

Bakura barely dared to breathe, his grip tightening.

"…He's here. I can feel it."

Bakura half-stood, silently running up behind one of the men, plunging his sword through the man's back. He collapsed instantly to the floor, blood spilling.

"Get him!"

Bakura dodged the blows from the other four, stabbing one in the chest and another in the stomach. _Just two left. This is actually not that hard…_

"Come on, you pansies…I was hoping for a _real _fight!"

"Oh, you'll get one…"

Bakura's eyes widened as an axe came inches from his head, a sword clipping the edge of his wings. The one with the axe swept his foot under Bakura's, sending the demon stumbling backwards. Bakura's hands met the ground first, and before his body hit it, he flipped backwards, dodging the sword, but it came only about an inch from his body.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Ryou wrapped the blankets tighter about himself. He was growing even more fearful now at the noise coming from downstairs; screams and crashes echoed into the room. Ryou shut his eyes, making a silent prayer for Bakura to live.

Bakura's limber frame allowed him plenty of agility and flexibility; he seemed to be faster than his attackers. Dodging an uppercut, Bakura drove his sword into the man with the axe's side, sending him to his knees, before plunging his sword into his back.

Five bodies were now lying on the floor. Blood was everywhere.

Panting, Bakura wiped his sweaty and bloody face with his shirt sleeve. "That…was easier than I thought…"

The demon's eyes widened suddenly, hearing a shot. He ducked, throwing himself to the floor, but it was too late.

The demon gasped in pain, the bullet piercing his shoulder. It burned… He could feel his blood beginning to ooze out. Rising to his feet, Bakura threw a glance around, his hand going to his back pocket, touching one of the knives he used to throw at his dartboard. He threw it, and it buried itself into the offender's neck, sending him instantly to the ground.

_That's all. There will probably be more of them later… But what am I supposed to do with these bodies?_

Bakura gasped again, pain searing through his shoulder. He walked to the stairs, making sure not to move his shoulder. Reaching Ryou's room, the demon opened the door, seeing Ryou on his bed, wrapped in covers from the bed, his eyes clamped shut.

"Ryou?"

The angel's head jerked up. "Bakura…"

The demon near collapsed onto Ryou's bed, wincing. Ryou's eyes instantly caught the blood that was beginning to show.

"What happened?"

"Everything was going fine, but once I killed them all, some idiot shot me…" Bakura growled, shutting his eyes in pain.

"Let me see…" Ryou murmured, removing Bakura's upper clothes. There was a small hole in the demon's left shoulder, bleeding. Ryou bit his lip. "Hold on."

Bakura did as he was told. Ryou went to his closet, pulling out a red box, and set it on the bed, before running outside. He returned after a minute with a washcloth and a roll of bandages. Ryou sat down on the bed, gently wiping away the blood with the wet cloth. Bakura gritted his teeth, his hands curling up into fists.

"Okay, this is going to hurt… But you need to hold still. It'll be easier if you don't fight…"

Bakura braced himself. At first, he didn't feel much. Ryou slit his shoulder slightly, making the wound just a little bigger, which made it bleed a little more. He merely cleaned away the blood.

"Okay…you ready?"

"Yeah…"

Bakura's eyes widened, pain searing through his shoulder. He clenched his teeth as Ryou worked, but the pain only grew. He could literally feel something digging into his body… Bakura bit back a scream, gasping in pain.

"I'm almost done. Just another minute or two…"

Bakura clenched his jaw even tighter, the pain near unbearable.

"I got it!" Ryou's voice broke through the silence. "Okay, you can move now."

Bakura groaned, lying down on the bed on his stomach. His vision smudged. He knew Ryou was still sitting behind him, helping.

Ryou wiped the blood away once again before beginning to bandage the wound. "You'll be fine. The hole should seal up in a day or two…I used a bit of healing magic while I worked, but I didn't use much, in case something bad happens later on. So your wound will just have to heal up by itself…I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," Bakura said quickly. He felt exhausted…

Ryou held the bullet in front of Bakura's face. "_This _is what was in your shoulder. I had to remove it. That's why it hurt so bad."

Bakura relaxed against the mattress as Ryou placed an icepack on the wound. It made the burning sensation go away…

"Get some rest, okay? You're going to need it. I'll wake you up when supper is ready, all right?"

* * *

Chapter 4: End.


	5. Chapter 5

Dude, I'm on SUCH a roll with this story. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Okay, no rambling this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Bakura groaned, his shoulder still aching. He was seated on a chair next to Ryou's bed, the angel currently sleeping. There was pure silence, except for the light breathing from Ryou.

Bakura was beginning to doze, his eyes growing heavy. He was growing tired again…

A loud crash echoed into the room, making both boys jolt into wakefulness. Ryou looked at Bakura, his eyes shining. His expression…it proved that Ryou knew what Bakura had to do, but yet, it showed sadness and worry and even a hint of regret.

"Stay here," Bakura murmured, ruffling Ryou's hair. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Ryou watched Bakura run out of the room, hand on his sword. Ryou sat there for a minute or two, but stood up and picked up his staff that was propped up in one corner. The angel held it tightly, staring at it. _I will…but…if anything goes the wrong way…I'm…afraid I'll have to fight, too…_

Bakura darted down the hall, reaching the stairs. _Crap, this is bad. Really bad… No. Worse than bad…_

Bakura yelped in pain, falling to his knees as his legs broke from under him. He glanced down, seeing an arrow buried into his lower leg. Growling, the demon merely ripped it out, rising to his feet, and jumped over the railing of the stairs, pulling out his sword.

Clenching his teeth, Bakura plunged his weapon into a man's side as soon as he hit the ground, merely kicking him aside. Twenty pairs of eyes instantly looked at him.

"You know what to do."

Bakura growled low in his throat, slashing outward, but his attack was only blocked. _Crap. These guys…they have more experience…_

Bakura resorted to combos, already slaying about five or six of the military soldiers, merely kicking their bodies out of the way.

Bakura's hands were soaked in blood, his shoes splattered with crimson from kicking the bleeding bodies. He blew his bangs out his face, the previous snow-white color now tainted from the blood. The demon gritted his teeth in pain as a blade clipped his left wing. Snarling, Bakura merely stabbed the attacker in the stomach, viciously pushing him away.

A few more minutes slipped past. There were only a few guys left…

Bakura's eyes caught a figure. _Ryou. Ryou, no!_

The angel was crouched behind the railing of the stairs, watching the fight and remaining out of sight, his hands tightly clutching his staff until his hands were pure white. He locked gazes with Bakura, though only for a second. The demon's eyes were dark, and his expression read: _"Go back to your room. Now." _Ryou could tell, but he merely ignored it. He remained silent, his chocolate eyes watching the battle.

Bakura's thoughts shattered as pain split through his arm. He quickly looked away from where Ryou was, finding that his arm had been cut. The demon growled low in his throat. "Let's see how _you _like it…"

There was a strangled cry as Bakura's sword tore through the man's arm, nearly hacking it off. Bakura gave him a good kick to the stomach, sending him crashing backwards against the wall.

"Now!" A voice rang throughout the room.

Bakura looked around quickly, but he never found out in time. The demon's eyes widened as what looked like a dart pierced his throat. Bakura gave a small gasp of shock and pain before sinking to his knees.

_What's happening to me? _Bakura thought, his mind racing in panic as the world about him began to spin. His vision was blurring, and he could barely see his hands in front of him.

Ryou was beginning to panic as well. Bakura had fallen to his knees, and wasn't even getting back up. _What happened? Is he hurt? _Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura fell to the floor on his stomach, his eyes barely open.

Bakura was gasping for breath. _What's happening…? I…feel like I can't…breathe… _The room was nothing but a big blur now.

"Bakura!"

The demon managed to lift his head, recognizing the voice. "R-Ryou, don't…"

The angel jumped over the stairs, racing over to the demon and taking a stance in front of Bakura. "Leave him alone!"

"Aw, would you look at that? This runt of an angel wants to save his little demon friend…"

Ryou's grip tightened on his staff. His arm was beginning to tremble slightly, and his stomach was beginning to churn uneasily.

"Move, kid."

Ryou let out a cry as one of the remaining men roughly shoved his away, and yanked Bakura up by his arm. "He can barely even hear you, let alone see you."

"W-What?"

"It's the liquid that was inside the dart, kid. It's making him go unconscious."

Ryou swallowed as Bakura was looked over, his pockets searched. "He doesn't have anything valuable on him though…except this thing." The man merely tore off Bakura's ring and chucked it across the room. He noticed the rings about Ryou's fingers, and removed them as well, merely throwing them in a random direction.

The man roughly grabbed Ryou's arm, also holding a barely conscious Bakura's arm in his other hand. "Come on, kid. You've got an appointment."

Ryou's eyes widened as his head was grabbed roughly, a needle piercing his neck. Ryou fought, and by the time he was released, he was only awake by a thread, the liquid already close to knocking him out.

The man threw Bakura over his shoulder, Ryou over his other. "Come on. We have to be back by sunrise."

* * *

Bakura awoke about five minutes after Ryou did. The demon tried to lift a hand to his aching head, discovering his hands had been tied together. Growling, he looked around. _What is this? A cage?_

Sure enough, the two were enclosed, the metal bars seeming to taunt the demon. Bakura growled, kicking it.

"Bakura, please…stop it…"

Bakura glanced upwards, seeing Ryou sitting beside him. The angel had his legs brought up to his chest, his head resting on his knees.

Bakura bit back a sharp reply, trying to relax a little. The silence between the two didn't last long.

"…B…Bakura…I…I'm sorry…" Ryou whispered, shutting his eyes. "I…I messed everything up…"

"I told you not to come downstairs, stupid! Now you're going to be stuck in the same position as me!"

Ryou bit back tears. "I-I'm sorry…"

Bakura sighed. "It's all right. At least I don't have to worry about something happening to you or never being able to find you after this…"

Bakura noticed that his sword was gone, gritting his teeth. _They must've taken our weapons away…_

It was a few minutes later when everything came to a stop. The two watched as a part of the cage was pulled back, someone coming inside. The man silently grabbed hold of both Bakura and Ryou, and pulled them out, leading them up towards a large set of double doors.

Bakura glanced at Ryou, seeing the fear that shone in the boy's eyes. Bakura gritted his teeth. _I have to protect him…_

The man was dragging them through the huge building, and then, suddenly, pushed both albinos forward. Ryou yelped as he crashed to the ground, and Bakura only fell silently to his knees.

"Well. These are the two we've been hearing so much about?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. You're dismissed."

Bakura growled low in his throat, rising to his feet. Ryou managed to get up as well. There was a man sitting in a chair only a few feet in front of them.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Bakura hissed.

"…You two…may call me Seto. Though in a few weeks, I'm sure you'll go about as the others and add 'master' to that…"

"Why you-"

"Bakura, stop…" Ryou pleaded in a whisper.

The demon growled again, but listened to the angel, and went silent.

"…The full name is Seto Kaiba. Registered as co-leader for half of military and half of Ceremony registry. And _I'm _the one who's going to break the two of you…maybe then you'll go about as you're supposed to." A smirk played across Seto's lips. "You do as your told, perhaps things will go easier for the two of you. If things go bad, then you'll be punished. You'll soon learn that…"

Bakura growled again, the sound tearing from his throat.

"Now, then. Demon…" He looked at Bakura, "…And angel…" he glanced at Ryou. "You two have broken more rules than anyone we have in our history. Two ceremonies have been put into havoc. And there's more to that…" Seto frowned. "And our patience has run out."

Ryou paled.

"Now, then. Things will begin tomorrow. You'd better be ready."

A different uniformed man appeared, taking a stern hold on both Bakura's and Ryou's arms, and began to lead them down a long, narrow corridor. "…Allow me to offer you a bit of advice."

"Why should we listen to you? You're one of-"

"Bakura, please…" Ryou pleaded. "…Please, any form of advice is helpful."

"…Master Seto…he is rather strict. It would be best just to what he says. If you get on his good side, or do everything the way he wants it, things shouldn't be as hard for you guys." A pause. "…Things aren't very easy for prisoners. They like to make things…difficult and painful…" The man shook his head. "You'll probably find out tomorrow."

He pushed the two into an enclosed space, shutting the door and locking it. It was darkened in the room, and the two listened as the man's footsteps faded away. Bakura sunk down on his bed, and Ryou on his.

"Just _great," _Bakura spat, obviously ticked.

Ryou said nothing, staring at the floor.

"…Ryou? You okay?"

"…N…No," Ryou choked out, his shoulders beginning to shake. "B-Bakura…I…I don't want it to be like this…"

"And you think I do?"

Bakura instantly regretted his comment.

Ryou started to cry.

"I want to go home…" Ryou whimpered, tears racing down his paled cheeks. "I-I…I'm so scared, Bakura…" Ryou whispered, shaking now. "I-I…I'm scared…"

The demon stood, walking across the tiny room, and sat down beside Ryou. "Everything will turn out okay…"

Ryou shook his head, crying even harder. "N-No it won't…we're going to die here, Bakura…we're only going to get hurt and they're going to torture us and torture us and torture us until we're only hanging on by one breath and…and…"

Ryou's cries turned into heart-wrenching sobs. Bakura felt guilt swimming in the pit of his stomach. "I won't let that happen…" Bakura whispered.

Ryou whimpered, sobbing.

He couldn't even wipe his tears away due to the bounds on his hands.

Bakura managed to place a hand on Ryou's arm. "I promise…"

_I have to protect him. I have to protect myself. So that we can get out of here and go back home…_

_No matter what…_

* * *

Chapter 5: End.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I'd just like to say thanks again for all the support!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Neither of them had gotten much sleep that night. Mostly, they had just sat there, staring up at the blank ceiling, their minds full of thoughts.

Bakura was the first to hear the footsteps that echoed down the corridor. He sat up, growling quietly at the binds on his hands. _These things are already ticking me off… _He growled again at the shouting that was taking place.

Someone came to the door, unlocked it, and forced the two into the hallway, grabbing Bakura's arm and Ryou's, and near dragged them down the corridor.

Bakura gave a curious glance about. There were others, but they were walking in groups, and most of them didn't have binds. He growled quietly to himself. _Great. So we're the really bad guys that no one can talk to. And I'm also guessing that everywhere we go, someone is going to be dragging us there…_

"…Master Seto said that the two of you are to be escorted around…we can't take any chances of you two trying to run."

Bakura rolled his eyes. _We're not stupid…if we tried to run, we'd probably only get a few feet, and then everything would become harder._

It was only a few minutes before they came to a large room filled with tables. To Bakura's surprise, the chains were taken off of his wrists, and Ryou's rope binds were undone. The two were pushed forward, and the man merely left.

Ryou swallowed uneasily. "B…Bakura…I…I don't like this…"

"It's only breakfast. Come on…" He took Ryou's arm, leading him across the room.

It was minutes before the two sat down. Bakura started eating, but Ryou merely stared down at his plate.

"Ryou, it's only food. You have to eat something…"

Ryou shook his head. "I…I don't know if I should," he murmured, looking down at the table.

"Why not?"

"I…don't really feel good…"

"It's probably just your nerves," Bakura muttered, munching on a piece of toast. "At least drink something…"

* * *

Ryou whimpered softly. "Bakura…I…want to stop…"

"You can't," Bakura whispered, helping Ryou lift some of the lumber. "I can't risk you getting yourself hurt…"

Ryou said nothing, hefting the wood, and following Bakura.

The two were helping with repairs. The person that had assigned them the job had said that they had to make a bridge that was elevated above the surface of the water. There was something like a moat about the outside of the building, which always rose during rainy days.

Ryou swallowed uneasily, setting the wood down beside Bakura. The demon was holding a nail between his teeth, hammering down on a piece of lumber. Taking out the nail in his mouth, Bakura looked up at Ryou. "Come over here and help put them down."

Ryou did as he was told, giving the near moat about them a fearful glance, before picking up a piece, and stood.

Ryou yelped as someone slammed into him, making him drop his piece of lumber, and it fell with a splash into the water to the side of him. Ryou froze at the voice.

"…You have to go and get it."

Bakura looked up from his work.

"B-But…I can't swim…" Ryou stammered, looking up at the man with pleading eyes.

"Oh…well…you'd better learn now, then!"

Ryou yelped as he was pushed, and Bakura's eyes widened as the angel fell into the water. "Ryou!"

Bakura stood up instantly, seeing Ryou not surfacing, a sea of bubbles rising to the surface. He shot the man daggers with his eyes in a glare.

"If you go after him, you'll pay the price, demon."

"As if I care," Bakura spat, jumping in.

Ryou gasped out, flailing, bubbles tearing from his throat. He tried to breathe, only to have water pour in. The angel stopped, shutting his eyes tightly. _I'm going to die…!_

His lungs began to burn. Weakly, Ryou struggled again, opening his eyes slightly. _B…B…Ba…kura…_

His head fell backwards as unconsciousness took him away.

Bakura growled, looking about. _Where is he? And why doesn't he know how to swim?!_

Bakura's dark eyes caught a feather floating past. He quickly followed the direction it had come from, and in about a minute, found Ryou's limp form sinking deeper down.

The demon quickly grabbed Ryou's arm, pulling him onto his back. Bakura's eyes caught the piece of lumber that had fallen in as well, which was near the bottom now. Bakura quickly dove after it, narrowing his eyes.

He grabbed it, quickly slipping it under one arm. He glanced to his right, seeing Ryou's head pressing against his shoulder. Clenching his teeth, he quickly moved back towards the surface.

Bakura gasped for breath as his head hit the surface. He moved back towards land, climbing out and setting Ryou down. "Ryou…Ryou…hey…you okay?"

No answer.

Bakura frowned, pressing an ear to the angel's chest.

Nothing.

Bakura quickly placed his hands on the boy's chest, smashing down with a heavy amount of force, swearing under his breath.

No response.

"Open your eyes, Ryou!" Bakura screamed, pressing down again, harder than before. He kept doing it, near on the verge of screaming his lungs out.

To his great relief, Ryou coughed, spitting up water. The angel opened his slightly, and weakly looked up at Bakura.

"Ryou…don't scare me like that…" Bakura muttered.

"…S…S…Sorry…" Ryou stammered, coughing up even more water.

"Stay right here," Bakura told him, standing up, and picked up the piece of lumber that had fallen in, and stormed up to the man that had pushed Ryou in. "You wanted it, so _take _it!"

The man's eyes widened as Bakura lifted the board, swinging it forward with strong arms, hitting the guy right in the face with the edge.

Bakura smirked as blood gushed.

"Does it hurt?" He asked with a sneer, dropping the wood. He kicked the guy in the stomach, the man falling flat on his back, clutching his bleeding nose and forehead.

"Y-You're crazy!"

"Am I?" Bakura questioned, placing a leg on the man's chest. "I think not. I'm merely avenging my friend." Bakura stooped down, smirking. "You should've thought before you pushed _my _friend in like that…"

Ryou managed to sit up, his eyes widening as Bakura kicked the guy in the face. He screamed, and Bakura's eyes darkened at the sight of blood seeping between his fingers. He started kicking him repeatedly, and eventually, his leg grew tired, and punched the guy full force in his already badly damaged face, making even more blood come out. "Because I don't tolerate it," Bakura hissed before whacking the man full force on the back of the head, sending him into a deep unconsciousness.

Ryou sat there, dumfounded, as Bakura came back over to him, offering him a slightly bloody hand. "You okay?"

Ryou nodded, taking Bakura's wrist. The demon hauled him to his feet. "Now, come on. This thing isn't going to build itself."

* * *

"_Demon, you've caused way too much trouble for one day. Looks like punishment isn't enough…"_

_Ryou watched with wide eyes as Bakura was seized, near dragged into the back room._

Ryou whimpered, drawing the blanket tighter about his trembling frame. Another scream tore down the narrow corridor, making Ryou cringe. _Bakura…_

And then there was silence.

Ryou jumped a few minutes later as he heard footsteps, and heard a key turning in the lock of the door. Ryou's mouth fell open as the door was yanked open, and Bakura was shoved inside. "Maybe next time he'll think before he acts."

The door slammed shut, and Ryou heard the lock turn. As the footsteps faded, Ryou glanced at Bakura.

The demon was barely standing. Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, his eyes widened with shock as Bakura fell to his knees, and then collapsed onto the floor.

"Bakura!"

Ryou tore the blanket away, racing up to the demon. Bakura didn't appear to notice or even hear him.

Ryou gently picked Bakura up in his arms, despite Bakura was much larger than he was. Crossing the room, Ryou gently placed Bakura on the bed upon his side.

"Bakura…what happened…?"

The demon opened his eyes only slightly, which had clouded over. But he said nothing. Ryou cringed at the sight.

Bakura wasn't moving, marks covering his face and arms. He was breathing heavily, his shirt ripped up. Through it, Ryou could see lash marks and cuts and wounds that were flowing blood, creating bloodstains on the fabric of his shirt. What appeared as burns were all over his body, and his wrists were near black in color.

"…Bakura…?" Ryou asked in a soft voice, reaching out, and touched Bakura gently. Even Ryou's feather light touch made the demon cringe.

Ryou bit his lip, going up against the wall, and turned on the sink, grabbing a handful of paper towels that were on a roll. He drenched them, turning off the water, and sat back down beside Bakura.

The demon said nothing.

"Bakura…we have to take off your shirt…" Ryou murmured, helping Bakura sit up. The demon was hunched over, blood and sweat racing down his face.

Ryou set the paper towels down in his lap, gingerly lifting Bakura's arms and began to lift his shirt. Bakura screamed in pain as it reopened his wounds, and Ryou tried his best not to hurt him too badly.

Bakura was clutching the sheets on the bed, his teeth clenched. Blood was near pouring down his backside, decorated with reopened wounds and cuts. Ryou placed the demon's bloody, ripped shirt down beside him, picking up the paper towels. He gently placed it on Bakura's back, slowly wiping away the blood.

Bakura screamed again, cringing, and went stiff as Ryou gently worked.

After a few minutes, Ryou had gotten most of the blood off. Dropping the bloody towels to the floor, he picked up Bakura's shirt, tearing it apart. Using the pieces of Bakura's shirt, Ryou began to bandage the worst wounds so that they wouldn't bleed as much.

By the time he finished, Bakura was near unconscious. The demon's eyes were barely open, fogged. He watched Ryou move about, though exhausted.

"…R…Ry…ou…" He choked out, the world spinning.

"Bakura?" Ryou quickly came over beside him, getting down so that they were at eye level.

Bakura coughed, hacking up blood that splattered onto the sheets of the bed. Ryou bit his lip.

"…I…I…"

Bakura's eyes rolled back slightly as his body went limp, falling unconscious. Ryou hesitated, but slowly took Bakura's arm, examining the burns and blackness on Bakura's wrists.

"What did they do to you…?" Ryou murmured, letting Bakura's arm go, his heart aching at the sight of the badly damaged thief lying on the bed.

* * *

Chapter 6: End.


	7. Chapter 7

Well, sorry I didn't update as quickly. I redid this chapter a couple of times... So, I hope you guys like it. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Although Bakura was obviously too exhausted and damaged to go about work, he did so without a complaint. Ryou, however, knew he was in pain; he could tell by the expressions that moved across his face, the way he was moving about, the way he was sitting down at meals, basically everything he did gave it away. At even the slightest touch, he would flinch, clenching his teeth, biting back a scream each time.

It was lunch. Bakura had barely said a word during the entire meal. Ryou glanced up from his barely touched food as Bakura stood, the demon crossing the room to put up his tray.

"Demons…aren't meant to hang around angels. It only proves that they're weak."

Bakura ignored the comment, stomping back in the direction of Ryou's table, hands clenched.

"What a pansy. Must be all talk…"

Bakura's eyes flashed with anger. He whirled around, grabbing the boy's shirt, and punched him full force in the face. "Look who's talking… You wouldn't be able to put up with half the crap I have, so watch it…"

Ryou watched in horror as Bakura hit the guy harder. The situation was attracting quite a few stares…

Finally, after making the boy's face bleed quite a bit, Bakura shoved him to the ground. "No one talks about _me _like that, got it?" He snarled, kicking him, and stormed back over to where Ryou was sitting.

"…You do understand that you're going to get in trouble for that, right…?"

"Humph. As if I honestly care," Bakura growled, sitting down.

* * *

_/That night…/_

"_He won't break!" A scream sounded as the near limp form on the floor was kicked._

"_Humph. Just keep going…eventually the pain will become far too much…"_

Ryou wiped his eyes, his head jerking up at the sound of the door opening, and quickly rushed towards it. Bakura fell forward instantly, and Ryou quickly caught him in his arms before the demon could fall. The angel felt his heart ache when Bakura whimpered, clutching Ryou's clothes.

Ryou tried to move him towards the bed, but it only made the demon scream with pain. Ryou bit his lip, gingerly lifting him in his arms, and carried him over to the bed. Bakura let Ryou move him, though he only clutched tighter onto the angel's clothes during the process.

Setting Bakura down, Ryou quickly went over to the sink, getting more paper towels, starting the same process over again. Ryou kneeled down beside him. Bakura was clutching the sheets tightly, his back arched with pain. His upper body was still only clad in the ripped shirt pieces, covering worsened wounds.

Ryou gently removed them, trying not to reopen anything. However, it happened anyway, and Bakura screamed near bloody murder. Ryou bit his lip, tears pricking his eyes. He started wiping away the blood like he had done before, Bakura cringing and whimpering at his touch.

Solid black eyes opened slightly. Bakura gasped as pain shot through his body, making it spasm. The world about him was a massive blur, and the smudged outline of Ryou was hovering over him.

He tried to move; he cringed in pain, coughing, blood rising into his throat.

Ryou watched as Bakura began to cough up blood, his badly damaged body sinking further against the bed, but his back was still arched through pain.

"…R…Ry…ou…"

"…What is it?"

"…W…We…h-have…to…get out…of…here…"

Ryou nodded silently, trying hard not to cry. It felt like his heart was breaking; Bakura began to cough again, getting blood all over the sheets. Bloodied, tainted white bangs fell over most of Bakura's face, bruised and cut wings folded close.

"…I have a plan," Ryou said quietly. "But it's really risky."

* * *

It was night. Bakura was still in horrible condition, but had pulled together enough strength to walk, but could barely do anything.

Since Ryou hadn't gotten in trouble much, they had stopped tying his hands together. Bakura, on the other hand, was still bound with chains. Ryou stood by the cell door, waiting for someone to come by. To his relief, someone did. He managed to snag their attention. "…Seto said he wanted to see us."

The man looked Ryou up and down, and then looked at Bakura, who was leaning against the wall. "…Oh. You two are those troublemakers, eh?" Ryou held back his excitement as the guy opened the door, grabbing hold of both albinos, leading down the hallway.

After a few minutes, Ryou spoke up. "Hey! Look, someone's trying to get out!"

The man instantly looked over his shoulder. Bakura smirked, delivering a heavy blow to his head, sending him straight to the floor.

"What an idiot…" He grumbled, wincing as pain shot through his arms.

"Shush," Ryou said with a frown. "They're going to know something is up if they hear us."

Since Bakura was too weakened from his wounds, and in no condition to be doing anything, Ryou put him on his back, going down the corridor.

They came to a corner. Glancing down both corridors, Ryou spoke in a whisper. "Which way?"

"…Left," Bakura replied. "Trust me. I have a gut feeling about this…"

Taking off into a run, Ryou followed Bakura's directions. After a while, to their relief, they came to the front door.

"It's locked," Ryou said with a frown after trying the handle.

Bakura frowned as well, looking around. He glanced upwards, "There's a window…"

Ryou sighed, taking a small takeoff, flying upwards, hovering next to it. He pushed on it, but it didn't budge. "I can't get it open!"

"Jeez, you're weak…" Bakura grumbled, coming up beside him, damaged, black wings moving slightly. The demon grunted as he shoved the window, but nothing happened. "…Fine. If it wants to be stubborn…"

Ryou yelped, covering his head with his arms as Bakura punched the window, the glass breaking instantly. Ryou glanced up, Bakura's hand dripping with blood.

"Hey! STOP!"

Ryou paled, looking over his shoulder. At least three or four guys were standing there, glaring them down.

"Come on!" Bakura grabbed Ryou's wrist, pulling him through the broken window.

When they landed, Ryou went stiff. They could hear the alarm going off, and Bakura was breathing heavily, gasping with pain. He sunk to the ground, wrapping his arms about his frame.

"You okay?"

"No…" Bakura whispered. "It…it hurts…"

"We have to get you to a hospital…" Ryou replied, helping Bakura stand. The angel's eyes widened suddenly as a shot sounded; Bakura grabbed his shirt, yanking him towards the ground. Ryou fell, eyes shut tightly.

"Ryou, we have to get out of here…"

"I…I know…" Ryou answered, his heart pounding in his chest. "But where can we go?"

"Does it matter? We just need to find somewhere!" Bakura yelled, grabbing Ryou and throwing him over his shoulder.

"Bakura, put me down…_I'm _the one who needs to be carrying _you!"_

"Just shut up for a while, Ryou," Bakura growled, panting as he ran. Ryou looked at him, seeing Bakura's face beginning to flush, bangs moving as he ran, occasionally falling into his eyes. He merely blew them out of his face as he ran.

"Bakura, please…put me down…I don't want you to hurt yourself…"

"Shut up!" Bakura growled, jumping over fallen things. "I'm carrying you because _I _don't want _you _to get hurt!"

Eventually, Bakura stopped running, and let Ryou get down. The demon instantly collapsed, his breath heavy, blood trickling down his backside from his wounds.

Ryou bit his lip, helping Bakura sit up. "You okay?"

"…Y…Yeah," Bakura gasped. "I…just need a break…"

"But we have to keep moving…" Ryou said quietly, standing up. He lifted Bakura in his arms, grunting, trying not to hurt him. "Jeez, you're heavy…"

"We weigh…the…same…stupid…" Bakura breathed, letting his head fall backwards a little.

Ryou bit back a reply, taking off in a run.

Eventually, he thought his arms would break, unused to carrying much weight. He stopped, setting Bakura down, about to put him over his shoulder. The angel's eyes widened as a shot echoed throughout the area, instantly dropping down onto his stomach, pulling his wings close.

After a few minutes, Ryou sat upright, but Bakura stayed down. "Ryou…get back down…someone's watching us…"

"But I don't see any-" Ryou gasped, a knife whizzing past, only inches from his head, burying itself into a tree about a foot away. Ryou quickly got back down, looming over Bakura.

"What are you doing? I said get down!"

"…I…can't let them hit you…" Ryou replied quietly.

Bakura frowned, looking up at Ryou, the boy's eyes shining with sadness and regret. "But, Ryou-"

"I don't care! I can't let them hurt you anymore!"

Bakura flinched as Ryou's eyes narrowed down at him slightly, tears welling. "…I can't…let them hurt you anymore. You've already been hurt so much, Bakura…I…don't want you to get so badly that you can't move…or…that you die…"

Bakura's eyes widened as tears began to race down Ryou's face, chocolate orbs shutting. "Ryou…"

"Aw. Isn't that sweet?"

Ryou's tear-filled eyes snapped open, a cry of pain coming out of his throat. He collapsed forward, landing on the ground.

"Ryou? Ryou, what's wrong?!" Bakura asked frantically, sitting bolt upright. "Are you hurt?"

Bakura's eyes caught blood.

"Hold still…"

He lifted Ryou's shirt, seeing a hole in his back. He traced a finger over it, making Ryou's back arch, the angel screaming with pain. _They shot him! Crap, this isn't good…_

Bakura's eyes widened, quickly grabbing Ryou, and tried to push him down so that he was hovering over him. However, Ryou shoved Bakura to the ground, looming over him, his back exposed to everything about them. "…I…can't…let them hurt you…" He said quietly, tears dripping.

Bakura opened his mouth to speak, but Ryou only screamed again, his arms starting to tremble. He collapsed, spots of blood beginning to show through his shirt.

"Ryou!" Bakura quickly sat up, pulling Ryou closer. "Are you okay?"

"…I…I…don't…k…know…" Ryou whispered, straining to sit up. Bakura helped him, letting him lean against him.

"…Well, well. Look who we have here."

Two mouths fell open at the sight of who was standing there.

* * *

Chapter 7: End.


	8. Chapter 8

Eh heh...sorry for the slow update. -sweatdrops- Forgive me? -is hopeful-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Marik."

"Bakura." The demon replied, stepping into view.

Bakura's eyes instantly caught his sword and Ryou's staff. "What are you doing with those?"

"That's none of your business, Bakura."

"It is too. Those belong to _us."_

"Fine. I'll make you a deal-"

"No. Just give it back," Bakura growled, standing and stomping over to the demon. "Because I have no patience left."

Grabbing Marik's shirt collar, Bakura angrily slammed him against a tree, trying to punch him. Marik, however, blocked the blow, smirking. "I know you, Bakura. You can't use tricks I've seen before…"

Growling, Bakura kicked him in the shin, making Marik stumble, and took his chance; grabbing his sword from Marik's waist, and Ryou's staff.

"Ryou, catch!"

Ryou barely noticed the staff, catching it just in time; otherwise it would've hit him.

Bakura, well ticked, swung his weapon, slicing deep into Marik's side, giving him a hard kick to the stomach, making him fall back a bit. Bakura angrily stabbed him again before shoving him to the ground, making his way back towards Ryou.

Bakura froze at the gunshot, flinching as Ryou screamed, doubling over.

"Ryou!" Bakura raced over to him, the angel clutching his arm in pain.

"…W…We're…going to die…Bakura…" Ryou choked out, blood showing through his shirt sleeve.

"Don't talk like that," Bakura growled, picking Ryou up in his arms. "Come on. We have to go."

Darting past the wounded Marik, Bakura took off in a run, Ryou gasping in pain in his arms.

They never noticed the lavender eyes that followed them.

* * *

Bakura winced as peroxide touched his wounds, making it burn. He was sitting on a table in a hospital room, his wounds needing to be bandaged.

Ryou, in the room next door, screamed with pain, lying on his stomach.

"Hold still…"

Ryou whimpered, tears pricking his eyes, feeling something digging into his back. "Okay, I got it. You need to roll over for me."

Ryou did as he was told, trying not to let the bullet wound touch anything. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling embarrassed, his chest bare. He cringed, pain searing through his upper arm.

A few minutes later, after Ryou had screamed a few times, the person declaring that they had finished. Ryou gave a sigh of relief, wiping his eyes quickly. He sat up as the wounds were bandaged, wincing occasionally.

After a couple of minutes had passed, he was allowed to leave, after given a new shirt to put on, since his other was bloodstained. He did so, picking up his old shirt with his free hand, walking out into the long corridor.

He stopped, however, when he passed Bakura's room. Glancing through the little window, he could see Bakura cringing every few seconds as bandages were wrapped about his wounds, and occasionally, a spot of blood would begin to show.

When the bandaging was finished, just about every part of Bakura's body was solid white with bandages. He stood, but froze as the doctor handed him a white shirt.

"…I don't do white," Bakura growled. "I only do black or red."

The person that had worked on him groaned, chucking him a red shirt. Bakura, smirking, slipped it on, before walking outside.

"…How'd it go?" Bakura asked, walking down the hallway with Ryou at his heels.

"…It…was painful," Ryou admitted.

"Humph. How do you think I felt?"

* * *

"…Bakura…I…I want to go home…" Ryou said quietly.

"I know. But we can't yet. They'll come right back there, since we escaped…"

"…What about Marik?"

"Humph. That wound will probably give him a problem. Other than that, I can kick his sorry hide any day," Bakura grumbled. He paused, glancing over his shoulder. Ryou was following him, his gaze downcast. "…Ryou."

Ryou's head snapped up instantly. "W…What?"

"…I…I'm sorry."

"…For what?"

"I let them take us. I let them hurt you. I-"

"Stop it! It's not your fault, okay? Please, don't put the blame on yourself…"

"But it _is _my fault! If I hadn't have let them hit me with that dart thing, none of this would've ever happened! And on top of it, I let you get shot, I let you almost drown to death, I let-"

"STOP IT!" Ryou screamed, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Bakura, please…when you put the blame on yourself, it only makes me feel guilty about things. And…and it makes me upset…" Ryou put his gaze back towards the ground, tears pricking his eyes.

"…Sorry."

"…No…it's okay. I shouldn't be so sensitive." Ryou lifted his head, smiling, but Bakura didn't know that it was forced. "I'm fine. Now come on."

Ryou grabbed Bakura's arm, starting off in a run, near dragging Bakura behind him.

Bakura never noticed the tear that slipped down Ryou's cheek.

* * *

"Ryou, I found a river nearby, and I found some fruit trees about a quarter of a mile away from that. You want to help?"

"…Sure."

Ryou followed Bakura outside from their only temporary, abandoned home, each of them carrying a bag. Bakura, leading the way, grinned, chatting about it all. Ryou merely followed in his footsteps, staring at the ground, giving an occasional yes as an answer.

About ten minutes later, they came to a stop, Bakura sitting down at the water's edge, rummaging through his bag, and pulled out a few jars. Ryou, however, merely sat down beside him, gazing at his reflection in the water. Bakura began filling the jars up with the water, looking up at Ryou; a flash of concern spread across his features. "…Are you okay?"

"…Yes. I'm fine…" Ryou answered quietly, drawing his legs up to his chest.

Bakura frowned, but said nothing more, screwing the caps back on the four jars, stuffing them back in his bag, and stood. "Come on."

He started walking. Ryou stood silently, snagging his bag, and followed.

Bakura grinned as the trees came into view. "Pretty good find, eh?"

"…Yeah…" Ryou answered quietly, making his way over to an apple tree. Jumping, he caught a branch, pulling himself upwards, starting to climb.

"Why don't you just fly up there?"

"…It ruins the fun, Bakura."

Bakura watched in silence as Ryou climbed, getting as far towards the top as he possibly could. "…Why are you going to high?"

"…Because the top usually holds the best ones…"

Bakura bit his lip. _What's the matter with him? He seems…off, today…_

"…_Amane always wanted to pick the fruit from the trees, but she was too small to reach any of the branches…"_

_...Oh...he's probably thinking about them again. It's probably messing his head up like it always does...that's all he can think about..._

* * *

"Ryou, eat something…"

"I told you, I'm not hungry…"

Bakura sighed. "Look, Ryou. I know that you've been thinking about them again, but you have to get over it. They're dead, okay?"

Ryou said nothing.

"You can think about them, but it won't bring them back, so stop getting all depressed about it!"

"I know that…but…but I don't want to forget them…"

"I didn't say you had to forget about them, all I'm saying is that I don't want to see you getting upset over something like that!" Bakura paused. "…If it makes you stop moping, you can tell me about it."

"…Mum and I…we looked a lot alike. Amane and I…we were really close. We'd write letters to each other, and we'd do basically everything together…

"…I…got really lonely at times. And it got even lonelier when Mum got pregnant. Father would always help her out and whatnot, and I'd be left alone… Once…when Father took me fishing a year or two before that…I fell in when he had his back turned. Of course he got me out, but…I was afraid from then on…

"Once we had Amane, when she got big enough, we'd go down to the pool occasionally. Neither of us could swim, but I managed to get over my fear long enough to let her enjoy herself…

"…And then…when I was eight…Mum and Amane went out to get groceries…and died in a car crash. Father…became terribly depressed, and rarely came out of his room. I…had to take care of myself. I was just as upset as he was, but…there was no one there to comfort me, and no one there that I could talk to.

"He got over it eventually, and so did I. But…but…"

Bakura stiffened. Tears began trickling down Ryou's cheeks; he bowed his head instantly, his shoulders trembling. "…S…Sorry…"

"…Don't worry about it…it's hard for you, I can tell…"

Ryou sniffled, stiffening as Bakura draped an arm about his shoulders. "Eventually, it'll heal. Eventually, you can think about them both without pain… It'll take a long time, Ryou, but it'll heal… You just have to trust me…"

Ryou whimpered softly, shutting his eyes. "…I…I just…really miss them…"

"Just think, now…you're not alone. You have me…" The demon paused for a minute or two, then continued. "…It's not as bad as you think, you know. You could be completely alone, dying on the street…without anyone there to comfort you or save you. But…it's not the case. You have me, you have a home now, you have freedom. Just think about it, okay?"

Ryou nodded in silence.

* * *

Marik growled to himself. "Screw him. The next time I see him, I swear, I'm going to-"

"Marik, calm down…"

"Why don't you make me calm down?!" The demon raged, his eyes near black in anger. "He stabbed me, just to save that stupid angel!"

"…I tried not to let Ryou associate with Bakura before, but…he just doesn't listen to anyone anymore. He's grown too rebellious."

"Oh, then we'll have to change that, won't we…?"

* * *

Chapter 8: End.


	9. Chapter 9

Lookie. I updated. Yay. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Yeah, once the sequel is done, there's going to be a triquel (is that a word?...) well, anyway, there's going to be a part III and maybe even a part IV. Maybe I should make a part V also and end it there... Yeah, big plans for this series, eh? xD

* * *

"Ryou…Ryou, come on, wake up…"

The angel groaned, letting his eyes flicker open. "…What's…going on?"

"Come on. We have to leave," Bakura muttered, grabbing the two bags, and pulled Ryou onto his back before racing outside.

Ryou's eyes widened as he heard a shot, and pressed closer against Bakura's back. His eyes widened even further when his eyes caught red, desperately trying to push Bakura to the side. But he didn't make it, a red tipped arrow thudding into Bakura's leg. Bakura stumbled, falling onto the ground with Ryou on top of him. Ryou quickly got off, trying to yank the arrow out, but he froze, his eyes widening to a near impossible size as an arrow came only inches from his head, thudding into a tree.

"Ryou, get out of here…"

"No."

"Don't be stupid! You're only going to get yourself hurt! Now go!"

"No. I won't leave, Bakura. I _won't."_

Ryou ripped out the arrow from Bakura's leg, tossing it away, his eyes narrowing slightly. _I'll fight too. I won't leave you behind. I'm…not weak. Only the weak leave their friends behind to save themselves._

Ryou stood upright, pulling his staff from his waist, standing up in front of Bakura, who silently rose to his feet, hand on his sword.

Bakura growled low in his throat. "Marik."

The blonde smirked, coming into view. "Bakura."

"What's your problem? I thought you were on my side!"

"Humph. I am. I'm just not on _his _side," he muttered, looking right at Ryou. "And Malik doesn't like you, Bakura."

Ryou, who had been silent, finally spoke. "This is so _stupid!" _He screamed. Raging over between Marik and Bakura, Ryou's eyes narrowed. "These fights are getting us nowhere!"

Both demons blinked, along with Malik, who had appeared from behind Marik.

"We're exactly the same!" Ryou yelled, then sighed, starting up in a calmer tone. "Look. Bakura and I always hang out. We all know that. I don't have anything against anyone, and apparently Bakura and Malik don't like each other, and Marik doesn't like me. But that's not my point. Bakura's a demon…and I'm an angel." He looked at Marik and Malik. "Malik is an angel…and Marik is a demon. And you two are working together like Bakura and me. Marik, if you really hated Malik like the rest of the angels, you would've killed him already."

Bakura's hand went slack, and he released his hold on his sword. "…Ryou's right, you know." He placed a hand on his hip, "Look, why don't we just work together or something? We're only wasting or time fighting each other." He looked directly at Marik, and then at Ryou. "If things go our way, and get people out of our way, we can do anything we want."

"…Whatever," Marik growled, turning around on his heel. "If we're doing things like this, we may as well join into one camp."

* * *

Four forms sat in front of the fire, shadows curling across the ground, the darkness about them. They sat in a square, Ryou sitting next to Bakura, Malik and Marik sitting together. Directly across from Ryou was Malik, and across from Bakura was Marik. There was silence.

"…This idiotic military…they make me sick," Marik spat, drawing his insanely dark purple cloak about himself.

"Humph. The same goes for the Leader," Bakura muttered.

Ryou and Malik looked at each other, and then looked away. Bakura seemed to notice. "Eh? Are you two still mad at each other or something?"

"…It's…just weird," Malik muttered. "We got into a really big argument before all this happened, so…"

Ryou was silent, staring at the flames with his legs drawn up to his chest.

The conversation continued. Bakura noticed Ryou's strange silence, and leaned a little closer. "Are you okay?"

Ryou nodded. "Yeah…I'm fine."

"Hey, Bakura. Catch!"

The demon's head snapped up, raising a hand, catching the bottle that was chucked at him. He glanced at the label, a smirk playing across his lips. "So, you've been drinking more, eh?"

Ryou lifted his head, a look of concern flashing in his eyes as Bakura tore off the cap. "Bakura…are you sure you should-"

"Oh, lighten up, Ryou," Bakura muttered, ruffling his hair, and took a deep swig from the glass bottle.

Ryou bit his lip. _This isn't going to turn out good…_

About an hour later, both demons were unconscious. Ryou and Malik locked gazes, sighing. "Idiots," Malik grumbled, standing up, and heaved Marik over his shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning, Ryou. I'm going to bed."

"…Okay," Ryou replied, turning his attention to Bakura. Picking him up, Ryou put him on his back before snuffing out the fire, following in Malik's direction.

* * *

Ryou, who was up well before anyone else, went about the task of collecting food. After writing a short note and slipping it in between Bakura's fingers, Ryou slung the bag over his shoulder, venturing out a little way.

Ryou didn't even notice Bakura when he walked up, already high up in a tree.

"What are you doing?" Bakura called.

"Getting food." Ryou smirked slightly. "What, no hangover?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Ryou picked an orange, and threw it down at Bakura; the fruit bounced off his head, making Bakura's eyes narrow. "Don't make me come up there."

"I really doubt you could if you wanted to, considering how much you drank last night. You'd probably throw up as soon as you looked down."

"Whatever," Bakura growled, turning on his heel. "Anyway, come on. We're leaving."

* * *

_He watched in silence, hiding about the walls. His eyes were wide as the soldiers began to slay everyone in their way, bodies falling to the floor, blood tainting the ground. There were feathers everywhere, near every color._

_Lavender eyes watched as the white yet transparent objects appeared, being pulled away. Souls._

_The little boy watched the buildings become engulfed in flames, the village emptied of its inhabitants. Sneaking behind one of the soldiers, he found himself underground, watching in utter silence behind a corner._

"_They're merely village rats. We've done them a favor by taking their lives away…"_

_The little boy's hands clenched tight into fists, watching as the souls were pulled all into one container, and then, he just couldn't watch anymore. He darted from the place, tears in his eyes, but he froze as he reached the outside world, the village now nothing but flames and ruins._

"…_It's…not real…"_

_He trudged over to what was left of his home, dropping down on his knees in front of the burned, ruined abode, lavender eyes filled with tears, shoulder length white hair dirtied from smoke and soot. Tears began to slip down his face, and he broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in front of what used to be his home._

_-_

"_Get up!"_

_He winced, body decorated with injuries. Once lavender eyes were now dark, vast brown, resulting from the hate and pain and everything else that had built up._

_Small, black wings stuck out from his back, not even a foot in length yet. Growling, he lunged outwards with his sword, only to have his move blocked. "Humph. You're just as bad as those villagers…they're pathetic."_

_It triggered memories._

_The brown deepened into solid black in pain and rage, and the boy flung out with his weapon, stabbing the man in the stomach, and followed up in a violent attack until the man collapsed and stopped moving altogether._

_Blood flowed over the boy's hands and fingers, dripping onto the dirt. "…I…I…killed him…"_

_Lifeless eyes stared up at him, wide from previous shock. The boy sighed deeply as his eyes returned to brown, and wiped his bloodied hands on his jeans. "Humph. I guess he deserved it."_

_-_

_The boy was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He held back a scream as his canines began to lengthen, his wings, which had grown, now only a little longer than a foot, folding close to his body._

"_You okay?" A voice asked, a boy about his age, though obviously an angel, kneeling down next to him._

"…_N…No…" He breathed, fingers digging into the grass. "I…I…"_

_The angel's eyes snapped open wide, the boy grabbing hold of him in a vice-like grip. "…Just…hold still…"_

_Grabbing hold of the angel's shirt collar, the demon sunk his fangs deep into the angel's throat, blood leaking down his neck. Bakura bit down even harder, drinking as much of the crimson substance as he could._

_His need soon became fulfilled, and he pushed the angel boy away, who fell instantly to the ground, unconscious. The demon, blood racing down his chin, staining his shirt, merely wiped the blood away with his shirt sleeve before walking away._

"BAKURA!"

The demon snapped into wakefulness, sweat racing down his neck and his forehead. "Nn?"

"…What happened? You were screaming and tossing around…"

Bakura sat up, running a hand through his hair. "…It was…my memories…"

"…Oh…" Ryou calmed slightly, and spoke in a quiet voice, "Umm…I don't know if it's my business, but…what memories?"

"…From…a _very _long time ago…" Bakura sighed. "When my village was destroyed and the people were killed, the first time I killed someone, the first time my vampire image kicked in…" He shook his head. "That's all."

"…Oh." Ryou hesitated for a second. "…Umm…I made breakfast…"

Bakura didn't perk up like he normally did. "…Okay. I'll be there in a second, all right?"

Ryou left, but hid behind one of the trees, to still keep an eye on Bakura. The demon stood, stretching slightly, and ran a hand through his hair.

Ryou frowned as he traced a finger down his left cheek. "…Of course…the physical damage always fades away…but…other things still remain…" He sighed deeply. "…I guess…it's about time I told Ryou everything about the past…I couldn't blame him if he's curious. I always keep things from him…"

Bakura's wings twitched. "…But…if none of that happened…I…wouldn't have met Ryou…none of this would've happened…" The demon shook his head, shaking the loose thoughts from his head.

_What kind of things? _Ryou felt his pulse rapidly increase as Bakura brushed past him, and stopped. Fear rose into Ryou, thinking Bakura knew he was there, and that he was going to get caught, but to his relief, Bakura only sneezed, and continued walking.

…_What about his past…isn't he telling me…?_

* * *

Chapter 9: End.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry it took so long to get this up... I discovered my really old PS1 games...and got re-hooked all over again with a couple of them. xD

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

A flash of concern crossed Ryou's features. Bakura had barely eaten any of his food, and hadn't said a word. _Something's wrong. _"…Bakura…are…you okay?"

No answer.

"Bakura!"

The demon's head snapped up. "H-Huh? Did you say something?"

"…Are you all right?"

"…No," Bakura muttered, looking down at the ground. "…I…need to talk to you."

Ryou pretended to be confused, since he had heard most of what Bakura was already talking about earlier when he was eavesdropping. "What do you mean?"

"…There's…still a lot I haven't told you…"

"Like what?"

"…I'm…from the west. When I was really little…military soldiers destroyed my village, and we had exactly one hundred people living there. They came…and slaughtered ninety-nine of them…and their souls were taken as mere fodder. I managed to escape. Everything was burned to the ground, and of course they thought they had killed everyone… Back then…my eyes weren't this color. They were lavender…

"…I grew up to be a feared tomb robber, along with stealing souls. I wound up…getting a scar on my cheek…" Bakura murmured, his fingers trailing down the left side of his face.

"But those are only basics. In the past…I learned some spells…to remove other people's souls…and I once tried to find a spell to bring back the dead, but I was unsuccessful. To resurrect darkness and demons and beasts from the shadows…"

"…Why?"

"…To destroy those who destroyed my own…to kill the one who led them all…"

"But…killing people just to avenge what you lost…won't solve anything, Bakura. All of that…was in the past. Can't you just…you know…get over it?"

"…You don't understand, Ryou…it's much more than that…"

"…What do you mean?"

"…Once…while doing a spell to revive the creatures from the darkness…something went wrong…horribly wrong…" Bakura's hands clenched. "…I can remember…when the lights went off…and near everything in the room was becoming broken, a terrible wind starting up…that something wasn't going the right way…

"…It…was a powerful demon, made from utter darkness…and filled with nothing but hate and anger when it was destroyed. Yet…I couldn't do anything to stop the spell…it was…too far out of my control by this point. And somehow…I was taken as a…_host…"_

_A host… Does…this mean that some things about Bakura are they way they are because of that other demon inside of him?_

"…I…I'm sorry…I didn't tell you earlier…"

"…It's okay. I understand. You probably just didn't know how to tell me, or you thought I would've taken it wrong, right?" Ryou smiled slightly. "You don't have to be afraid to talk to me, Bakura."

Bakura said nothing, staring at the ground.

"…Bakura…?"

The demon stood, abandoning his barely touched meal. "…I'm sorry…but…I'm not really hungry right now…" He turned, his hands in his pockets. "…I just…need to be alone right now…"

* * *

Ryou bit his lip, stopping only a few feet behind Bakura. The demon didn't appear to notice him, sitting cross-legged at the water's edge with vacant look in his eyes.

"…Bakura…come on…"

No response.

"Bakura, please…you've been sitting here all day…" Ryou murmured, walking over to the demon, and crouched down beside him. "…Are you sure you're okay?"

"…I'm fine," Bakura muttered, lowering his gaze.

"But…you seem so…" Ryou placed a hand on his shoulder, trailing into silence.

"…Just…get off of me, Ryou…please…" Bakura said quietly, shrugging Ryou's hand off.

"…Bakura…just talk to me about it. It'll-"

"No…"

"But Bakura…you're only making things harder for-"

"I already said no!" Bakura yelled, snapping free from Ryou's touch. Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura grabbed his shirt collar, yanking it. Bakura froze instantly, slowly letting go of the angel's shirt, and looked down at the ground. "…Sorry…"

"…It's okay, Bakura…but…_please…_why can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"…Because…I'm afraid of what the outcome will be…" Bakura sighed. "I don't…know how you'll take certain things…"

"…What things?" Ryou's frown deepened. "Is it about the whole demon incident?"

Bakura's hands clenched up into tight fists. "…I…just hope that…it doesn't possess me…or hurt you, Ryou…"

Ryou smiled. "I don't really think you'd let it possess you, Bakura."

* * *

Bakura's gaze shifted. The other three were already asleep next to the fire, darkness pushed to the edges of the area. Bakura's eyes fell on Ryou, the angel curled up on the ground, his head resting on one arm.

_/Trying to create a normal life, Bakura?/_

Bakura flinched, and sighed deeply. /_Perhaps./_

_/…That angel…what do you see in him that prevented you from merely slaughtering him like the rest…?/_

_/That's none of your business./ _Bakura closed his eyes, hands clenching.

_/Oh, but it is, Bakura. Remember…I'm inside of you. I can tap into your emotions, your mind…or…affect those things that are sensitive…/ _There was a small pause. _/…The boy…what would you do…if something happened to him…?/_

_/What do you mean?/_

_/A critical condition…only breaths away from death…? Or what if he did die? What would you do then? You'd be alone once more…so what would you do with your life?/_

Bakura clenched his teeth, hands drawn into tight fists. _/…I…/_

_/You'd be a mess, Bakura. After adjusting to having someone around, and then they vanish, you'd have to start over. You'd have to readjust to everything./_

Bakura was about to answer when Ryou stirred, lifting his head sleepily. Their gazes locked, and Ryou slowly sat up. "…Why aren't you asleep…?"

Bakura shrugged, not looking at him.

"…You okay?"

"…Yeah. I'm fine…"

Ryou sighed, frowning slightly. "Bakura, please. I know there's something wrong with you. You've been acting really strange lately, and on top of it, you've barely been eating. That just screams something is up."

"…Ryou…I'm fine. Really. I just…haven't had much of an appetite lately."

_/Lair./ _The voice burned through his mind, taunting.

Ryou frowned when Bakura didn't answer. "Bakura?"

_/Look, just shut up! Leave me alone./_

_/Oh? And why should I do that, Bakura…? And I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders…/_

Bakura's eyes widened, pain searing through his chest. He stiffened, looking up to see Ryou staring at him, frowning deeply. "…Bakura-"

The pain grew, and Bakura instantly jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Ryou asked, grabbing Bakura's arm.

Bakura snapped free of Ryou's grasp, breaking into a run. He gasped aloud in pain, his hand clutching his chest. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, seeing Ryou running after him.

_/Perhaps I shoulder eliminate him myself…/_

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura collapsed to the ground, tightly clutching at his chest. The angel quickly went over and kneeled down next to him. "Bakura…what's the matter with you?"

Bakura shook his head, trying to move away. "…G-go away…"

"But why?"

_/…Of course… You never tell him…and then…/ _Bakura cringed, stiffening once more. _/…Things get out of control, Bakura…/_

"…R…Ryou…get…out…of…here…"

Ryou's eyes widened again as Bakura fell motionless, limp, on the ground, his hands still tightly clutching his chest.

Ryou blinked, gently rolling Bakura onto his back. He frowned, reaching out a hand. "…What's…wrong with you…? Why can't you just tell me what's wrong…?"

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura's eyes flashed open, lashing out, and grabbed hold of Ryou's wrists with an insane amount of force. The demon sat bolt upright, staring hard at Ryou, a frown appearing on his lips.

"…B…Bakura…?"

He smirked, tightening his grasp even more on Ryou's arms. "Oh…so _you're _the angel Bakura talks about…"

"What do you-…" Ryou froze. _…No…it can't be…_

"…After all these years…of being stuck inside of this demon's body…I've been waiting…for my chance…" His smirk grew wider, leaning a little closer towards Ryou. "…And who knows when he'll get his control back, now that I'm out…"

"…Wait…why haven't you ever taken control before?"

"You think it's easy, don't you? It isn't. Conditions must be met…my _host _must also be in a certain condition… Times that come rarely…"

Ryou started to struggle. "Let me go!"

"Why…? I already told Bakura…that I was pondering the thought of getting rid of you on my own…" His smirk faded. "Look at me…"

Ryou did so slowly, freezing at the vast color of his eyes. Like Bakura's vampire image, his orbs were crimson, but with a deep luster of black clouding about… Ryou instantly looked away, hands clenching into fists. "…No."

"As if I'm giving you a choice…"

Ryou's eyes widened as he threw Ryou to the ground, pinning him down, holding Ryou's arms to his sides. The angel whimpered softly, trying to squirm free, but couldn't. He shut his eyes tightly, feeling the grip only tighten.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Ryou's eyes snapped open, a breath of relief passing his lips at the sight of Marik and Malik standing only a few feet away.

"Bakura, what are you doing?!"

"…Bakura…is gone…" The demon answered with a sneer, fingernails digging into Ryou's skin.

Marik frowned deeply. _Wait…those eyes… _His mouth fell open. _Oh, crap…_

The demon lifted an eyebrow at Marik. "…Ah. Long time no see…"

Ryou frowned. "Wait. You two know each other?"

"Not exactly. This happened a really long time ago…when Bakura's control was ripped from him…and that _thing _inside of him began to wreak havoc…"

"But of course. But that incident…was so _long _ago…" A smirk played across his lips. "I've been wanting to have some fun of my own…"

Ryou shut his eyes tightly, hands clenched. _Bakura…I'm sorry. Please…wake up…_

* * *

Chapter 10: End.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura staggered, putting a hand to the wall. He punched the door again, further tearing open already heavily bleeding knuckles. Trapped in his soul room, he had been struggling madly to get back out, but no matter what, he couldn't get the door open. He grabbed the handle again, but after slamming against it, it still didn't budge.

Bakura sunk to his knees, most of his energy gone. Breathing heavily, he rested his head against the wall, racking his brain for an idea.

…_Ryou…_

-

Ryou yelped as the demon's hand locked about his throat, hoisting him into the air. The angel started to struggle, trying not to look into his eyes.

"…What can we do?" Malik whispered.

"…We have to push that thing back inside of Bakura's body, and somehow, we'll have to make sure Bakura grabs the control right when it happens, otherwise that demon will just come right back out," Marik muttered, hands clenched. _This isn't going to be easy…_

Ryou whimpered softly, trying to pry the demon's hands away.

"…Are you afraid of me…?" He whispered, digging his nails into Ryou's neck. The angel let out a small cry, trying even harder to get free. "Let me go…"

"Why should I do that? I already told you…I want to have some fun…"

Ryou shut his eyes tightly, but reopened them at the noise. The pressure was gone from his throat, and he fell instantly to the ground. Ryou looked about quickly, seeing the demon get knocked backwards. Ryou scrambled to his feet, trying to run.

Ryou cast a fearful glance over his shoulder at the sound. A cross between a hiss and a snarl, Ryou watched, horrified, as the demon rose to his feet, blood seeping through his shirt from the bullet wound in his shoulder. "Where do you think _you're _going?"

Ryou froze instantly as the demon stumbled backwards, shot again. His heartbeat was quickening rapidly, fear numbing his limbs. His eyes widened as the demon's eyes seemed to glow a malicious blood red…

Ryou quickly bolted, screaming as he was yanked backwards by his hair. He whimpered, trying to pry his hands away. Ryou's eyes widened as he was spun in a circle, his eyes meeting the demon's, which were filled with rage. Ryou felt his heart leap into his throat as the demon's hand curled about Bakura's sword handle.

"Don't…" Ryou whispered, tears in his eyes.

"Then why don't you stop me?" He growled, throwing Ryou to the ground. The angel quickly tried to run, but froze, his eyes going wide as the weapon sliced through his backside. A strangled cry spilled from his lips, his arms going out from under him. He tried to get back up, a scream tearing from his throat as he was kicked, being sent rolling onto his back. His eyes widened, and he managed to roll onto his side, the sword plunging right where his chest just was.

"Now what? We've already shot him twice and it's barely doing anything!"

"…We have to try something else. If we keep damaging Bakura's body like this, if we do ever get him back out, he'll probably die," Marik answered with a frown.

"But what about Ryou? He's going to get killed if-"

"Calm down…he has a healer's blood. His wounds will heal quickly, and shouldn't be as bad as average…" Marik sighed. "But we do need to hurry up. If this keeps going on we're all going to die."

Ryou screamed in pain, the sword getting a piece of his wings in the blow. He whimpered softly, feeling the demon stomp down harder on his spine. "Hold still!"

Ryou clenched his hands, the world blurring. _"…Only the weak abandon their friends to save themselves."_

…_Right…I…have to save Bakura… _Ryou's entire body stiffened, straining to get up.

"Aren't you a stubborn one? We'll have to fix that…"

Ryou yelped as he was forced onto his back, his chocolate orbs going wide.

"Don't worry. I'll tell Bakura all about it…"

A strangled sound spilled from Ryou as the metal pierced through his chest, his eyes widening even further before clouding. Merely ripping out the weapon, the demon wiped the blood away on his jeans.

Ryou tried to get back up, his entire body numbed. He whimpered, collapsing, as the world went black.

-

"RYOU!"

Able to see everything, Bakura screamed as loud as he possibly could as Ryou fell limp, blood surged through wounds. Bakura screamed Ryou's name again, punching the door as hard as he possibly could, making his hand further bleed.

"Ryou…" Bakura whispered, seeing the angel beginning to slowly pale. "Don't…"

"YOU CAN'T DIE!" Bakura screamed, tears in his eyes. He kept them held back, although his breathing was beginning to shift. "…You…can't…you can't…"

His hands clenched up, tight enough to draw blood from his palms, the tears in his eyes disappearing… "…Why…? Why does every bit of happiness…have to be taken away from me?!"

Bakura growled low in his throat, his eyes flashing crimson. "…They can't…take Ryou away from me…he…isn't going anywhere!"

Eyes turning a deep shade of red, Bakura grabbed the handle of the door, slamming outwards. The door snapped open, nearly ripping of its hinges as Bakura darted out of the room, a strange luster in his eyes.

-

Marik winced as the sword cut into his side, drawing blood. The demon smirked widely, swinging outwards again. "Where's your fighting spirit…?"

Malik was busy with Ryou, trying his best to stop the bleeding. He cursed under his breath, blood already soaking through the bandages. _He needs a doctor…but we can't leave… Crap, what do I do?_

Marik managed to block the blow, kicking outward and hit the demon right in the stomach, sending him backwards. The blonde raised an eyebrow; the demon didn't get back up.

"…Get…out…of my body…"

Marik, uneasy, took a step backwards. "…Bakura…?"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Bakura roared, a strange light appearing about his chest. Bakura paid it no mind, jumping instantly to his feet; his eyes a blackish color, and ran instantly over to Ryou.

"…Ryou…Ryou…" Bakura whispered. The angel made no answer, lying limp on the ground. "Ryou…please…" Bakura murmured, gently touching the angel's wrist. There was still warmth, but it was fading fast.

"RYOU!"

Bakura grabbed Ryou in his arms, the angel limp, unmoving and bleeding.

"…Bakura…?" Marik asked, taking a step closer.

"…H…He's…going to die…" The demon whispered, hugging Ryou closer. "And…it's all my fault…"

"No he isn't. Don't say that."

The light about Bakura's chest grew brighter.

"…Bakura…we need to take him to the hospital…why don't you let Malik carry Ryou so that you can rest-"

"No! I…can do it…myself…" Bakura muttered, rising to his feet. The demon broke instantly into a run, faster than the two blondes thought possible.

"WAIT FOR US!"

* * *

_Where am I…? What happened to me…?_

…_How long have I been out of it…?_

_Wait…_

_Bakura!_

Ryou's eyes snapped open instantly, looking about. He found himself seated in a bed, white sheets drawn up to his neck, the walls a dull white as well.

Ryou glanced to his left, freezing instantly. Bakura was lying in a bed only a foot or two away from his own, the demon motionless, either asleep or unconscious. His face was pale, his breathing a bit heavy.

Hearing footsteps, Ryou shut his eyes, deciding to listen instead.

"…So will he be okay?"

"The angel? Yeah, he'll be fine. Rest up for a few days, some medication, he'll be good."

"…What about the other one?"

"You mean the demon?" There was some uneasiness in the man's voice. "…It's already been twenty-four hours…and he hasn't even moved once. From the tests we took, it seems his energy levels have plummeted…"

"What does that mean?"

"It means his body is incredibly weak…" There was another pause. "Let me ask you something. When we were testing…we saw this…_light…"_

"We saw it too. But we don't really know what it is…"

"Hmm. Well, although he isn't wounded, there seems to be some…heavy stress on his body…" Another pause. "…If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to keep an eye on these two? I have to help prepare the rest of the tests for later on today…"

"Sure, no problem."

"Okay. So…if either of them wake up, you need to give them these."

"Got it."

Ryou heard a few more footsteps, and then nothing more. Letting his eyes ease open, he found Malik standing at the counter at the back of the room, Marik nowhere in sight.

"…Oh…Ryou. You're awake…"

Ryou didn't answer, glancing at Bakura again.

"…You need to take these," Malik said, placing two pills in Ryou's hand, along with a glass of water.

Ryou stared at them for a minute or two, and then swallowed them, leaving an aftertaste in his mouth. The angel's eyes went right back to the demon on the bed.

"…It's all my fault…" Ryou whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

"It's nobody's fault, Ryou…" Malik sighed. "Apparently, Bakura used so much of his strength to get his control back, that he's been unconscious for a while. But he did so because he didn't want you to get hurt, Ryou. If that thing would've hurt you any more, it may have killed you. And if that happened, Bakura would probably feel so guilty he wouldn't be the same…

"…Apparently…he forced himself to carry you here. He wouldn't let anyone else do so. And when he came inside…he collapsed instantly, and fainted. It took us a while to pry him away, because he didn't want to let go…

"…He'll be fine, Ryou. Just give it time and-"

"No! I heard everything! He's…he's…hurt a lot more than I am. He's weak and exhausted and I wouldn't be surprised if he's unconscious for a week! And having that monster inside of him and all the stress and everything else he's only going to get worse and…and…" Tears began to slip down Ryou's cheeks, the angel's shoulders shaking. "…It's all my fault…if I had just listened to him…he wouldn't have had to fight so hard to come back…"

The world gave a violent spin, Ryou collapsing onto his back. _Why…am I…so tired…?_

"I'll wake you if he awakens so you two can talk this out, all right?"

Ryou didn't answer, already in a near unconscious state, deep in sleep.

* * *

Chapter 11: End.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Malik sighed, stepping out into the hallway. Marik was sitting in a chair next to the door, and lifted his head as the other blonde came outside. "How are they?"

Malik shook his head. "It's already been almost a week…and Bakura still hasn't woken up. Not even once…

"…Ryou's practically killing himself; he won't eat, he won't sleep... All he does is sit there and watch him to see if Bakura will wake up. And he cries just about every night nowadays…"

"Humph. Weakling," Marik muttered, staring at the ground.

"…You'd probably act the same way if your only family was in Bakura's condition. Even demons have a soft side. They just don't show it…"

Ryou, sitting by Bakura's bed, whimpered softly, tears in his eyes. The repetitive beeping sounded again and again, the monitor for Bakura's heart propped up on the opposite side of the bed. Ryou lifted his gaze, watching the green lines move on the screen. _"His energy levels have plummeted…and there's a lot of stress on his body…"_

Ryou's eyes widened as the lines stopped moving for a second, going in a straight line, and then started moving again. Tears started falling freely from the angel's eyes, a horrible and sick feeling in his stomach.

There was a glint; like a dull light about Bakura's chest.

The lines on the screen stopped again for a second or two, making the tears fall faster from Ryou's eyes, the uneasiness in his stomach growing.

* * *

"…Ryou? Ryou, what's the matter?"

Ryou's shoulders were shaking, tears racing down his cheeks. "…He's…getting worse…" Ryou choked out.

"…What do you mean?"

"…H-He…has a fever now…" Ryou muttered, staring down at the horribly pale demon. "…H…He's…only going to get worse and worse…"

Malik bit his lip. _Maybe…it's already been like…two weeks? Why isn't he waking up? Jeez, he hasn't even woken up once…_

"…H…He…_has _to wake up…he can't…die…he just can't…" Ryou whimpered, tears falling faster. "He…he's…all I got…a-and…I don't…want to be alone…"

…_He's right. Bakura is only getting worse…his heart…keeps stopping…and skipping a lot of beats… The doctor told me…that the light has been getting stronger…and that if we don't do something soon…it may be too late…_

…_But I can't tell Ryou that. It would only make him more upset…_

"…Ryou, do you want anything to eat?"

The angel merely shook his head. He wasn't hungry. Besides, every time he ate, he only got sick, and wound up throwing it up.

Malik sighed, and left the room. Ryou, still crying his heart out, noticed Bakura's chest moving, his breathing sounding…rattled.

It only made him cry harder.

* * *

It was midnight. Bakura's condition had gone so far downhill, Ryou never did anything but basically cry over the thief now, not getting any sleep at all, spending the late hours seeing if the demon would ever awaken.

"…Ryou…you need to get some sleep."

"…I can't sleep…" Ryou muttered, tears trickling down his paled cheeks.

Ryou was just about completed shattered. Bakura's pulse was slowing down as the hours passed by, skipping beats constantly.

The door burst open, Marik coming inside, clutching a huge black book to his chest. "I got it!"

"Good. Ryou, I got Marik to look for a spell book. This should help Bakura."

Ryou brightened, though only slightly. "…What do I have to do?"

"…This spell…it says we should be able to somehow tap into Bakura's body. Doing so, we can seal the demon so it can't get back out."

"…Okay. So I just say the spell and we can get going?"

The blondes nodded.

Ryou began reciting the text, an eerie purple color emitting from the pages. As he continued, the light near exploded, knocking Ryou flat of his back, the same glow appearing on his hands.

"…You're the only one that can go, Ryou. We can't afford to waste Bakura's strength. Besides, we can tell you're the most concerned…"

Ryou could barely hear their words, managing to stagger up onto his feet, and stumbled over to the demon on the bed before collapsing in a dead faint.

"…Are you sure it was a good idea to send Ryou?"

"Humph. Just trust me on this," Marik muttered, slamming the book shut.

* * *

"…W…Where am I…?" Ryou asked, finding himself in a barely lit corridor. There was only one door in the wall, and nothing but darkness on the other end of the hall.

Ryou walked over to the door, opening it slightly, stopping. The room had gray walls, a black floor and ceiling. A single window was in one wall, a few shelves in the walls, a lone knife discarded on one. Ryou's eyes caught blood; it was drying, found on the door and a little on the walls. The door creaked, its top hinge breaking. Ryou jumped back, and quickly moved away, swallowing, and started going down the hallway.

It slowly began to brighten, but only slightly. Eventually, Ryou stopped. It was a dead end. The only thing there was a door in the wall, open just a little bit.

Summoning his courage, Ryou pushed on the door, luckily, it didn't make any sound as it opened. A small beam of light came into the hall.

Ryou wandered inside, his heart thudding in his chest. Walking forward, he began to hear noises; he followed them, it being his only hope.

He eventually came to another door, this one open completely. Taking a step into the room, Ryou found it shrouded in darkness. He heard a small, strangled cry, spinning around, and looking at his right.

He could see movement.

Uneasiness rose into his stomach, but he followed the sound, and moved towards the corner of the room.

He heard what sounded like a whimper. Not sensing much danger, Ryou reached out towards it, but it only backed away against the wall.

"…Bakura…?"

Ryou reached out again, his hand brushing the thief's arm. Bakura instantly cringed, backing away, making a noise that sounded like a wounded animal.

"…Bakura…it's me," Ryou whispered, reaching out again. "It's Ryou…"

Bakura shook his head in the darkness. "…G…Go…away…"

"…But…I want to help you…" Ryou murmured, managing to place a hand on the demon's shoulder.

"…D-Don't…touch me…" Bakura choked out, backing away again, pressed deep into the corner of the walls.

"Bakura…what's wrong with you…?" Ryou took a step forward, but froze as the darkness disappeared in an instant, light flooding the room.

"…Well, well. Seems we have a visitor…"

Ryou gave a fearful glance over his shoulder, seeing the demon leaning on the doorframe, although looking just like Bakura. _He must be using his identity again._

"Now, then. What do you want?"

"…I want to help my friend."

"Humph. Bakura's already dying, kid. Haven't you figured it out yet? You can't save him. You're too late…"

"…Y…You're lying."

"Am I? Or are you just too afraid to handle the truth? Just look at him! Such a pathetic excuse for the king of thieves…"

Ryou glanced back at the demon in the corner, the sight nearly making his stop. "…B…Bakura…"

Tears formed in the angel's eyes, Ryou dropping to his knees beside the demon. He placed a hand gently on the thief's shoulder, making Bakura's entire body cringe at once. But he never did lift his head.

Ryou knew it was bad. _Is…is he…really dying…?_

Bakura finally looked up at him, which only made Ryou feel worse. His eyes had gone to a vast black, his face a deathly shade of white. His clothes were tattered, the remains of the fabrics soaked with blood. Ryou could see the marks and bruises and wounds, some still bleeding. His wings were bruised and cut, pulled as close as they could to his body. The thief's chest was heaving, white hair tainted with blood.

"B…Bakura…y…you…can't be…"

Bakura didn't answer, but they way he was staring out into space, Ryou could tell he was on the verge of unconsciousness.

"…You…you're going to be okay…and then…and then we can go back home…"

Bakura shook his head only slightly.

"…No…" Tears were falling from the angel's eyes. "NO! W…We're going to take care of you…and you'll get better…and then everything will go back to the way it was…"

Bakura shook his head again before coughing heavily, hacking up blood.

"…Please, Bakura…I…I don't want you to go…you can't leave…you just can't!"

"…I…I'm…sorry…Ryou…" Bakura choked out.

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura collapsed forward into his arms, his eyes fogged. "…N…No…"

His tears were flowing now.

"NO! NO! NO!" Ryou screamed, desperate tears falling from his eyes as his chest began to tighten. "…C…Come on, Bakura…o-open your eyes…"

Nothing.

"…Bakura…Bakura, please…" Ryou was sobbing, clutching the thief's body tightly. "…Y…You can't leave…I don't want you to leave…! DON'T GO! PLEASE!" The blue light flowed from Ryou's hands, the angel desperately using his healing magic.

"…It's no good. He's already lost too much blood…he's gone, kid."

"…N…No…" Ryou's grip tightened on the elder male as he glared at the demon standing behind him. "YOU DID THIS TO HIM!"

"Of course I did. By damaging the very soul…it makes the body so weak and defenseless. And since Bakura was already weak, killing him was no problem whatsoever."

_/…R…R…Ry…ou…/_

_/Bakura?!/_

_/…Listen…to me…there's…not…much time…before…I…completely get erased…/_

_/What can I do? You're going to-/_

_/…Your…multi-ability…remember…?/_

_/What about it?/_

_/Use it…don't ask why…just…use it…it's…our only chance…/_

Ryou swallowed uneasily, hands clutching Bakura tightly before setting him down.

"…I'll kill you…for what you've done to him…HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO DESERVE THIS!"

Ryou's eyes narrowed down, his hands clenching tightly.

_/Come on…Ryou…I…only…have…a few…minutes…/_

* * *

Chapter 12: End.


	13. Chapter 13

Yay! I updated. :D

Well, for this part of the series, it'll end between 20-25 chapters. I'm not really sure yet.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Angry tears were forming in Ryou's eyes. The angel cast another glance at Bakura, the demon's body lying only inches away. Blood was near everywhere and still flowing, the thief's hair falling over his face. _…I won't…let you die…I promise…_

"…Haven't you learned already? You don't stand a chance against me."

"Too bad. Because I'm going to prove you wrong."

Ryou, noticing Bakura's sword hanging at the demon's waist, frowned. _Now what am I supposed to use?_

Ryou's eyes widened as the demon ran at him, swinging Bakura's weapon out in an uppercut. Ryou instantly jumped back, swallowing uneasily. Ryou began to dodge the blows, racking his brain for a solution.

"Just make it easy on yourself and hold _still!"_

Ryou winced as the blade clipped his arm. Ducking beneath the next blow, Ryou took his chance, punching him full force in the face. Kicking him, Ryou pushed him away, grabbing the sword from his hands.

The demon smirked, revealing abnormally long canines, blood oozing down his jaw. "…So…you want to play rough, eh…?"

Ryou stiffened at the blood chilling laughter, watching in horror as the demon ran at him, grabbing Ryou's arms with newly appearing claws, digging them in and drawing blood. "…You never should've came, idiot. Now you're both going to die."

"…I…won't…and I won't…let Bakura die either!" Ryou ripped his arm free, making blood seep down his arm, but he took his chance, swinging outwards with the weapon, landing a direct hit in the demon's stomach, making blood pour from the wound.

Ryou's eyes widened as the demon began to laugh, crimson eyes rising to meet Ryou's own. "…You can't kill me…so easily…"

Ryou slowly took a step back, noticing pointed ears sticking out from underneath white bangs.

Ryou yanked out the weapon, making more blood come out at once, backing away a few steps.

_/…R…Ry…ou…/_

Realizing just how little time he had, Ryou, still holding onto the sword, grabbed Bakura in his arms, taking off in a run and towards the door. He could hear the demon running after him; Ryou stumbled, feeling something pierce his back, but kept running, managing to get out of the room. Bakura was barely breathing in his arms, unmoving, his body limp.

Racing down the narrow hall, Ryou's eyes widened as a blade whizzed past his head, clipping a strand of his hair. His pulse increasing rapidly, Ryou quickly ran into the first room he found, slammed the door behind him, and locked it.

There was silence.

Ryou let out a long breath of relief, moving away from the door, and gently set Bakura down. Desperately, Ryou began to use his healing magic, making the bleeding slow. Racking his brain for an idea to help, Ryou stiffened as he heard the door groan, turning to see it slam open, the demon stepping into the room.

"…You can't escape me…"

Ryou didn't reply, merely continuing to heal some of Bakura's wounds. _Please…you can't die…_

Ryou's magic came to a screeching stop as pain flooded through his backside. Clenching his teeth tightly, Ryou's hands curled about the sword. Muttering a spell quietly, Ryou waited only seconds as the blade glowed an eerie green. Ryou swung outwards with the weapon, a gush of green light sending the demon stumbling backwards, blood gushing from a chest wound created from the blow.

"GO AWAY!" Ryou screamed, his eyes flashing a deep shade of black. The color of the blade shifted instantly to a shade of crimson, Ryou swinging out again, his rage giving him so much extra fight and strength. The demon fell backwards again, the red light gushing outwards, tearing at the demon's limbs and skin, making blood pour out.

Ryou, panting, looked back down at Bakura.

The thief was no longer breathing.

Ryou, panicking, let his weapon go and pressed closer, placing a couple of fingers on the demon's neck.

Nothing.

Tears were in Ryou's eyes as he placed his hands on Bakura's chest, pressing down as hard as he possibly could, checking again for any signs of response.

There weren't any.

Desperate tears swelled in the angel's eyes as he began to pump against the thief's chest, panicking. The gears in his brain were slowing, and his limbs were numb with terror and dread and shock.

The elder male didn't move, his chest remaining still. No breath passed his lips, and as Ryou checked again, realized his heart was dead to the world.

The tears were trickling down his cheeks now. _…N…No… It…it can't be…!_

Tears were flowing down his face, Ryou's shoulders shaking madly. He began to sob uncontrollably, some of his tears falling onto the motionless thief king on the ground beside him.

_NO!_

He slowly picked up the albino demon in his arms, hugging him close, his tears falling completely out of his control. Ryou's once warm chocolate eyes were slowly beginning to dull, his grip tightening on the thief.

Something inside of him burst, shattering into what felt like a million pieces.

Ryou was wailing now, an uncontrollable sadness completely taking him over, his crystal tears rushing down his pale cheeks.

"…P…Please, Bakura…d-don't…go… Please…d-don't…leave…" Ryou's entire body was slowly stiffening as it went completely numb, "…I…don't…w-want…to be alone… I…d-don't want you…to leave…please…"

Bakura, limp in the boy's arms, gave no sign of a response.

"PLEASE!"

Ryou shut his eyes tightly, tears racing. His heart was aching now, and when he opened his eyes again, he pulled Bakura even closer towards him.

"…P-Please…y-you…you said…my wish would come true…it…c-can't…come true…if you d-die…!" Ryou was shaking madly now, "…T-There's…no one left…y-you're…all I have…p-please…open your eyes, Baku-…"

Ryou drifted completely into silence as the demon's fist collided with the back of the angel's throat. For a minute or so, Ryou's mind went utterly blank. He recovered then, growling low in his throat, gently setting Bakura back down, grabbing the sword.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ryou jumped instantly to his feet, near screaming a spell. The red light was so much brighter, taking up much more space. Ryou swung outwards, the light gushing forward, knocking the demon backwards. Ryou ran at him, dodging a blow, and plunged his sword right into the demon's abdomen, twisting the blade until blood was near flooding.

Angered beyond measure, Ryou yanked out the weapon, kicking the demon in the shin, and shoved him roughly. As he stumbled, Ryou took his chance, looming over him, although Ryou was shorter, and dove his weapon right into the offender's chest, twisting the blade in a near complete circle. Ryou's fuel was his anger and pain; thus, he had more than enough.

Roughly grabbing the demon's shirt collar, Ryou threw him to the floor, Ryou plunged his weapon into his chest, ripping it out, viciously, almost uncaringly, stabbing the demon on the floor. Ryou didn't stop until the demon went utterly motionless, the room looking like a complete bloodbath.

Ryou, kicking the demon's body, went back over to Bakura, gingerly picking up the thief, and carried him over to his bed, setting him down. Ryou went back over to the demon, roughly yanking him up, and threw him out of the room, shutting the door, and locked it.

Ryou sat down on the bed, his heart near broken from the sight of the thief. _…H-He…can't be dead…after…five thousand years of living…he…can't be gone…_

Ryou's tears started again, racing uncontrollably down his cheeks. "…Y-You said…that we could be happy…you said I…c-could get my wish…" Ryou was sobbing again, the inside of his body falling apart, his mind going blank.

"…I…don't want you to leave…I don't want to be alone!"

Blood from the angel's wounds was slowly dripping onto the thief beside him, his tears the same. Unable to take it anymore, the inside of him feeling like it was beginning shredded to pieces, Ryou screamed.

In a final, desperate attempt, Ryou near pounded on the thief's chest, checking a final time for a response.

There was.

Ryou's eyes widened, but he continued to cry, doing it again, a weird feeling in his stomach as Bakura's pulse returned slowly, leisurely beginning to strength.

Ryou's own heart stopped for a few seconds as Bakura's chest moved; just slightly, but it moved. Ryou waited in silence as Bakura slowly began breathing normally, the thief's body stiffening visibly.

And when the demon's eyes slowly eased open, Ryou's tears only increased.

Weakly, Bakura looked at him. "…R…Ry…ou…?" His voice was cracking, and his words were slow at the moment, but Ryou didn't give a care in the world.

He was _alive…_

Ryou was wailing, his eyes reddened from all the tears of the moments. Bakura slowly raised an eyebrow, straining to move, but couldn't. "…W…Why…? Why…are you…crying…?"

"Because…because you're alive…I thought you were dead…" Ryou's tears were flowing now. He helped the thief sit up before capturing his body in a hug.

Bakura stiffened, but he let Ryou hug him, despite the fact it only brought his body pain, and it felt like his bones were breaking from the force Ryou was using.

The angel's head against his shoulder, Ryou said quietly, "…Did…you really die…?"

Bakura didn't answer, it all far too much. He fell instantly away from the world, going straight into unconsciousness in exhaustion.

* * *

Ryou awoke, seeing the dull hospital room about him. _I'm…back in my own body…?_

He turned his head, seeing Malik hovering over him, Marik slumped in a chair beside Bakura, looking utterly bored.

"Hey, Ryou's awake!"

Ryou groaned. His entire body felt weak and his arms were sore, apparently from swinging that sword around…

The whole memory came pouring back at once, and Ryou sat bolt upright. "Is Bakura okay?!"

"…Yeah. At first, we thought he left…his heart stopped…and he wasn't breathing. But it was really weird…his body started up again after a few minutes. Anyway, his condition is a lot better than before, so he's good."

Bakura groaned quietly then, but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, he merely rolled over onto his side, and after another five minutes, his eyes slowly eased open.

Confusion completely overtook his features as he slowly looked about the room, frowning. "…W…Where…am I…?"

"BAKURA!"

Ryou instantly jumped up, racing over to the bed and beside the thief and sat down on the bed.

"…Eh…? What are you so happy for?"

"…D…Don't you remember what happened?"

Bakura frowned deeply. "…Oh. That…" He said after a few minutes.

Ryou was trembling, his eyes welling with tears. "…I…thought I was going to lose you…"

Bakura didn't answer, trying to think of what to say.

Ryou instantly burst into tears, sobbing.

Bakura bit his lip, using what little strength he had, to slowly sit up, with Marik's help anyway. Placing his hands on Ryou's shoulders, the angel looked up, his eyes filled with tears, the substance flowing down his cheeks.

"…I'm sorry…"

* * *

Chapter 13: End.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Ryou whimpered softly, shaking his head. "…I-It's…not your fault…" He wiped his eyes, forcing a smile. "…I…guess I'm just glad you're okay."

Bakura blinked as Ryou stood up. "Ryou, wait…where are you-"

Ryou didn't let him finish. Instead, the angel slipped out into the hallway, keeping his head low.

"…Maybe you should go and talk to him."

Bakura sighed, managing to stand, despite his intense weak state, near dragging himself towards the door, and went into the hallway.

A frown crossed the demon's features as he looked down both ends of the corridors, taking the left way. Limping slightly with a hand on the wall, Bakura managed to drag himself to the end of the hallway, but he froze instantly, pain shooting up his spine. The demon gave a small cry, sinking to his knees, gritting his teeth. Cursing under his breath, using support from the wall, Bakura pulled himself to his feet, weakly making his way out into the lobby.

Bakura made his way over to the front desk, leaning on it heavily. "…D-Did an albino teenager come by here a few minutes ago?"

"Yes, actually." The woman pointed to the opposite end of the room. "He went that way."

Bakura gave her a small nod, stumbling down another one of the long, dull hallways. Bakura groaned as his knees buckled, and gritted his teeth, arching his back in pain.

Passing a section of the corridor, filled with chairs, which Bakura recognized as a waiting room, the demon paused. He moved closer, peering through the glass window, seeing a flash of white.

Managing to pry open the heavy door, Bakura dragged himself inside, leaning upon the wall, trying to regain his breath. He was _exhausted. _Letting his dark eyes scan the room, Bakura made his way into the back, seeing the back of Ryou's head. The demon paused behind the row of chairs, watching Ryou.

The angel's shoulders were slumped forward, his hair falling over his face. His legs were pulled up into the seat against his chest, his head resting upon his knees. Bakura could hear him crying, and by the way the boy's body was shaking, it was obvious otherwise. Ryou whimpered softly, wiping his eyes, not even noticing the demon hovering behind him.

"…Ryou?"

Ryou's head snapped up, but he didn't make eye contact with Bakura.

"…Are you okay?"

Ryou silently nodded, standing up. With his eyes downcast, Ryou started to move towards the door, but Bakura grabbed his arm. "Ryou?"

Ryou pulled his arm free, running to the door, and shoved it roughly open before darting out into the hall of the medical ward. Bakura followed suit, forcing himself to run.

"Ryou, wait!"

The angel turned a corner, and Bakura raced after him, increasing his speed, and caught the back of Ryou's shirt. Ryou made a small noise, trying to pull away.

"…Why did you run from me?"

Ryou didn't answer, instead snapped his arm free.

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he caught hold of the boy's arm again, holding on with a near crushing force.

"…Y-You're…hurting me…" Ryou whispered, tears in his eyes. Pulling away, Ryou began to run away once more, and Bakura began to run as well. But the demon stumbled, his eyes widening as his knees buckled. A small noise spilled from Bakura as the demon went crashing to the floor.

Bakura barely contained a scream as his body smacked against the marble floor, making a few of his bones groan. The demon managed to rise on his hands and knees, coughing, but his coughing spell only turned into a screech of pain, blood showing through his shirt. Collapsing onto the floor, it was only minutes before Bakura went out in a dead faint.

* * *

Ryou silently entered the room, seeing Malik sitting next to the bed, and Marik sitting in a chair, draining a cup of coffee. Neither of them looked up as Ryou came into the room; the angel silently went towards his bed, but froze at the empty bed beside his. "…W-Where's Bakura?"

"…He left… The doctors are currently working on him… I don't know what's wrong with him, but it didn't really sound good," Malik muttered, raising his eyes skyward.

Marik merely grumbled into the rim of his cup, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Three pairs of eyes rose as the door handle turned, the door making a slight creak as it opened, revealing Bakura, leaning heavily on the door.

Bakura didn't look at anyone, and instantly crawled into his bed, rolling onto his side so that his back was facing the three, the demon merely staring at the wall.

"…Are you okay?" Ryou asked quietly.

"Shut up, Ryou," Bakura snarled as he pulled the blanket over his thin body. "I'm just _fine_."

Ryou bit his lip, but didn't answer, lowering his gaze.

After about five minutes, Ryou spoke again. "…Umm…w-why did you…have to get medical attention?"

Bakura bristled visibly. "Why…?" The demon sat bolt upright. "What do you mean _why?!" _He roared, his eyes narrowing.

Malik moved away as Bakura yelled, taking a seat beside Marik, not really wanting to get involved.

Ryou took an uneasy step backwards, his pulse quickening.

"This is all _your _fault!" Bakura screamed, his eyes narrowing even further. "You just _had _to run away from me, didn't you?!"

"I…I just…"

Bakura's hands were clenched so tight that his nails were making marks on his palms. Without another word the demon stood up, storming over towards the door of the room.

Marik smirked silently, and Malik frowned, starting, "Bakura, maybe you should get some rest. It wouldn't be too good if what the doctors did to you-"

Bakura ignored him, stomping out into the hallway with Ryou at his heels.

"Bakura, wait-"

"Leave me alone!"

"But Bakura, I-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Bakura screamed, his chest beginning to heave. Looking away, Bakura managed to walk away in a quicker pace, leaving a frozen Ryou behind.

* * *

"Ryou, is something wrong?"

Ryou didn't answer.

The blonde bit his lip. "…Did…you two get into another argument?"

Ryou sighed deeply, nodding slowly.

"Maybe he's just ticked about all the medication he needs to take," Marik grumbled over the rim of his glass.

"What are you talking about?" Ryou asked, frowning.

"Oh. Someone came here when you two were getting lunch and said that Bakura had to take one of each every day before going to bed."

Ryou's frown deepened as he went to the counter, and opened up a cabinet, seeing four small bottles pushed to one side. _But why…_

Seeing no labels, which only confused Ryou more, the albino shut the cabinet, heaving a deep sigh, and moved towards the door. "Maybe I should try and talk to him…"

"Heh. Good luck with that, seeing how stubborn he can be," Marik answered, smirking.

* * *

Ryou returned an hour later, sighing deeply as he shut the door behind himself. "…I…I didn't find him…" Ryou said quietly, admitting defeat, and sunk down onto his bed.

"Weird," Malik muttered, standing up and going to the door behind Marik. "But you'll find him soon. He's around here somewhere."

Ryou nodded in silence.

"We'll see you tomorrow."

The two blondes left the room for the night, leaving Ryou alone in the now darkened room. Ryou slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out the necklace he was holding. Tears began to form in his eyes, and started trickling down his pale cheeks.

The angel didn't even look up when he heard the door open and then close, letting his eyes wander, to see Bakura going over to the cabinet he was at earlier, and pulled out the four small containers.

After Bakura had finished, he merely stuck them back in the cabinet, limping towards his bed, and instantly collapsed onto it. Ryou looked over at him, crying silently.

"…B-Bakura…?"

"…What?" Bakura grumbled, pulling the blankets over himself.

"…W…Why…did you yell at me…?"

Bakura didn't answer.

Ryou narrowed his eyes, standing up, and headed towards the door.

"Where're you going?"

"Yeah, like you care. I can tell you're _real _concerned," Ryou spat, stomping out into the hallway, and slammed the door shut. His anger melted, and he sunk to the floor, bursting into tears.

Bakura sat upright from his place on the bed, frowning slightly. He gave a massive sigh, removing his shirt, revealing black marks, healing wounds, and other injuries on his thin yet muscular frame.

Bakura sighed again, making his way over to the door, and managed to open it just a crack, seeing Ryou sitting against the wall, sobbing. The boy's legs were pulled up to his chest, his head resting upon his knees, while his frame was shaking madly.

"I want to go home…" Ryou whispered, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

"…Ryou…?"

The angel's head snapped up instantly, and he looked at Bakura, his chocolate orbs filled with tears. Ryou looked away. "Leave me alone," he muttered, staring at the floor.

Bakura bit his lip, slipping into the hallway, and crouched down beside the boy so that they were at eye level. "Look at me, Ryou."

The angel did so slowly, but his gaze was downcast.

"…Ryou…I'm sorry…" Bakura whispered. "I…guess I have a lot to explain…don't I?"

Ryou nodded in silence.

Bakura hesitated, but slowly placed his hands on Ryou's shoulders. Ryou looked up at him, brown eyes shining with tears. "…But…then you'll have to explain to me, too, you know," Bakura said.

"…Why?" Ryou muttered. "If you ask me, you've been the bigger jerk around here."

Bakura frowned, and so did Ryou. The angel stuck out his tongue after a second or two, and a ghost of a smile appeared on Bakura's lips. "…I guess I have, haven't I? But you'd better put that tongue of yours away before I rip it out."

"_Sure _you would," Ryou replied, smiling slightly. "Anyway, you have some explaining to do, so you'd better go ahead and start so I can get a turn."

Bakura frowned slightly, sighing. "Fine. Anyway…it…started a few days ago…"

* * *

Chapter 14: End.


	15. Chapter 15

Yay, an update. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

So I went bowling over the weekend. My arms and legs are sore. xD

* * *

Bakura winced as he stood up, his entire body aching. Ryou frowned at the battered condition of the thief's body as Bakura made his way over to a chair and near collapsed into it, groaning. The demon rubbed tiredly at his eyes, leaning back into the chair after he slipped his shirt back on.

"…Bakura?"

"…Hn?" Bakura grumbled.

"…Are…you okay?"

"…Yeah…I'm fine…" The demon sighed, shutting his eyes, and ran a hand through his mess of white hair. "…Just…tired…I guess…"

Ryou's frown deepened. "Maybe you should go to sleep…you don't look so good right now…"

"I said I'm fine…" Bakura mumbled.

"Then stand up," Ryou replied, frowning, and stood up himself.

Bakura's body stiffened as he sat upright, pushing his hands against the armrests and stood. Intense pain shot up his spine, and his knees went weak. The demon let out a small noise before collapsing, Ryou managing to catch him.

"…See? You don't need to be up and about like this…you need to get some rest…"

"…I…I'm fine…" Bakura choked out, clenching his teeth in pain.

"Quit lying, Bakura. Now come on." Ryou carried the thief back into the room, setting him down on his bed. Ryou sat down in a chair beside the demon's bed, forcing him to sit upright.

The demon was breathing heavily by now, his eyes shut tight in pain, his entire body utterly stiff. Ryou struggled to remove the thief's shirt; but because of Bakura's body not willing to move, he only made the pain increase for Bakura.

The angel managed to remove Bakura's shirt, frowning intensely at the many marks and healing wounds. "…What happened to you…?"

Bakura took a long time before answering. "…Wounds…that are done to the mental bodies…eventually appear on the real one."

"But I thought I sealed most of your wounds!"

"…You did…but…by chasing after you…I…guess I pushed it too far…" Bakura muttered quietly, looking away.

Ryou noticed a black line tracing about his shoulder blade. He barely touched it, feather light, but it made Bakura cringe, the thief giving a strangled cry of pain. Ryou quickly drew back his hand, murmuring, "Sorry…"

"I-It's okay…" Bakura replied, stiffening again, and clutched the blankets tightly.

"…I-Is it stitches?" Ryou asked after a few minutes.

"…Uh-huh…" Bakura mumbled, looking at the wall.

"…But I don't understand… I sealed your wounds, so why would they be so bad that you'd be required to get stitches? And the medication?"

Bakura didn't answer.

Ryou frowned. "…Are you hiding something from me, Bakura?"

No response.

"Answer me!" Ryou yelled, his eyes swelling with tears. He grabbed hold of the thief's shoulders, his fingers brushing the stitches. Bakura tensed, "Get off me, Ryou."

"Why?!" Ryou was crying now, trembling a bit. "You said you'd tell me what was going on! So why are you hiding things?!"

Bakura's eyes flashed in a sudden burst of anger, the demon sitting bolt upright, and grabbed Ryou's shirt in an instant. Ryou was frozen, his pulse quickening, tears trickling down his cheeks.

"…Stop crying."

Ryou tried desperately to pull away, still crying. Bakura's grip tightened on his shirt collar, the demon's knuckles going white. "Bakura, please, let me go… S-Stop it…"

The angel managed to pull away, stumbling backwards and into the side table, almost knocking over the lamp. This time, Ryou's hands clenched in a fit of rage, the boy drawing himself up to full height in front of Bakura, tears still moving down his face. "What's your problem?! Why are you being so hateful all the time?! Is it because of what happened earlier or because of all that stupid medication you have to take?!"

Bakura growled quietly, narrowing his eyes. "Maybe you're just soft."

Bakura's eyes widened as Ryou punched him, the teenager's body trembling, crying silently.

"You little-…" Bakura rose to his feet, grabbing hold of Ryou's arm, and punched him full force in the jaw, letting go when he did so.

Ryou screamed, the force sending him falling onto his rear, tears in his eyes. He stood back up, a small line of blood showing on his jaw. He merely wiped it away, trying to hit Bakura back. The thief merely blocked the blow, making his knee collide with the boy's stomach, and punched him again, almost harder, sending Ryou crashing to the floor, the boy cradling his stomach.

"Weakling."

Ryou's normally innocent brown eyes narrowed, the angel rising to his feet, trying again to return a blow, but it was merely blocked, Bakura's fist colliding with the teen's chest, and swept his feet behind Ryou's, sending the boy instantly to the floor, a coughing spell racking through his body, tears in his eyes and racing down his cheeks.

"You should know better than to challenge those stronger than you, Ryou."

Ryou choked back a scream as Bakura kicked him, giving the teen a final blow before Ryou collapsed.

The angel curled up into a ball, crying even harder. His body was aching, and he already knew he was probably going to have some bruises the next day.

_What's happening to him?_

Ryou watched Bakura storm out of the room, gently clutching the throbbing areas of his body.

* * *

"Oh crap, Ryou, what happened to your face?"

Ryou tensed, wincing, pressing an icepack over the large, blackish bruise on his cheek from Bakura's earlier punch. "…It's…a long story. Don't worry about it."

Malik frowned. "…If you say so…" He paused, going to the door. "We're going to get breakfast…do you want anything?"

"…No…I'm good. Thanks anyway."

Malik shrugged and left the room, joining Marik in the hallway.

Ryou sighed, alone in the room. His entire body was sore, and not once had he seen Bakura since last night. _…Did…he really mean all of that?_

Thinking of the previous night, it only made the teenager's heart ache. The only one that had given him patience to show himself had turned around. Treating him like the other victims… Ryou's mind was replaying the situation, remembering the fresh pain from the elder male's attacks.

Tears were falling from Ryou's eyes as he started to cry, dropping the icepack onto the bed and pulled the blankets tight about himself. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. But yet, he couldn't hate Bakura for it…

Whimpering softly, Ryou stood up, crossing the room and entered the bathroom. The teen slowly pulled off his shirt, throwing it down, and paused to look in the mirror. Other than his jaw, there were marks on his chest and a nasty colored bruise splattered across his stomach from Bakura's knee. Ryou sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. Turning on the water for a shower, Ryou managed to pull off the remainder of his clothes, stepping into the shower and pulled the curtain shut. He merely stood there for a minute or two, letting the water cascade over his hair and down his back, tears pricking his eyes. Ryou merely sighed, rubbing at his eyes again and started washing his hair.

* * *

Malik and Marik had already left for the night by the time Bakura appeared. The thief entered the room silently, grumbling under his breath. The room was in utter darkness, completely silent. He noticed Ryou's bed was empty.

As the thief crossed the room, he paused at the bathroom door, seeing a small bead of light passing from under the door. He pressed an ear to the door, hearing a faint crying noise. He tried the handle, finding it locked.

"Ryou, open the door."

"…No. Go away…"

Bakura growled quietly to himself, kicking the door in frustration. "Open the door, Ryou!" Cursing, Bakura kicked the wooden structure again, making a dent appear.

"…Leave me alone."

"Whatever, Ryou!" Bakura yelled, kicking the door again. "Go ahead and mope and cry and lock yourself up! It's not hurting me any!"

Ryou, seated on the mat in front of the bathtub, began to cry freshly, his legs pulled up to his chest. _You're right. It's not hurting you. But it's hurting me…_

Ryou's eyes widened in shock as Bakura managed to kick the door open, the demon standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, with his eyes narrowed.

"…G…Go away…" Ryou whispered, desperately pressing his back against the tub behind him.

"What's the matter with you?!" Bakura yelled, taking angry steps towards Ryou until he was only standing about a foot away.

Ryou swallowed uneasily, trying to back away. Bakura crouched down beside him, his eyes dark and angry. "…Tell me, Ryou," he growled, his tone icy.

"…I…I…" Ryou started to cry harder, trying to get up, wanting to run. "…Y…You're the problem…" He managed to whisper, looking at the floor.

Ryou almost screamed as Bakura hit him hard on the bruised side of his face, the demon's eyes narrowing further as he stood. "You're just being weak!"

_I…am so tired…of people calling me that!_

Ryou's hands clenched up, his tears stopping in an instant.

_And I'm tired of people treating me like this!_

The teenager's heart was beginning to swell with anger, his entire body stiffening as he rose to his feet. Ryou punched the thief full force in the face, making Bakura stumble a step backwards.

Bakura's eyes flashed near crimson in rage. Without a word, Bakura lunged out, grabbing Ryou's shirt collar, and slammed him forward, letting go abruptly. Ryou went tumbling into the empty bathtub, nearly hitting his head. He didn't have time to sit up; Bakura instantly went in after him, starting to hit the boy in a fit of rage. Ryou choked back a scream as Bakura punched him, his fingernails cutting into his skin, the demon pinning Ryou down, not giving him a chance to try to hit him back.

Bakura grabbed Ryou's arms, hoisting them above his head with one hand, sitting upon the teenager so that he was pinned down, no longer able to defend himself. Ryou's vision blurred as Bakura's fist collided with his face, making Ryou near scream with pain.

The attack continued for only a few minutes. Bakura let go of Ryou's arms, getting off of him, and sat down on the rim of the tub, panting. Ryou was panting as well, bleeding a little, bruises already appearing on his pale skin. Angry tears pricked innocent brown eyes as Ryou managed to weakly sit upright, glaring at Bakura. He stood, anger burning in his eyes, his heart pounding with rage, swelling.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"

Ryou began to cry again, this time in a fresh fuel of anger, punching Bakura back, sending the thief tumbling backwards and onto the floor.

"And I'm not going to waste anymore of my life hanging out with someone who's only going to hurt me!"

Ryou got out, storming out of the room. He grabbed a jacket on the way to the door, seeing Bakura coming out of the room as well. Ryou pulled the jacket on as he reached the door, pausing only for a second to look over his shoulder. He was crying, his anger mostly changing into hurt. "…Maybe you'll be happier on your own."

Ryou left the room, leaving Bakura standing there by himself. Ryou merely wiped away the thin trickle of blood moving down his jaw, and wiped away his tears, storming down the hallway, and into the main lobby. The angel paused for only a second, giving a saddened look over his shoulder before pushing open the double doors, and walking out alone into the night.

* * *

Chapter 15: End.


	16. Chapter 16

Aww. D: The sequel is almost over...just four more chapters left... -sniff- Well, at least I get to look forward to making Part III, and I hope you guys are looking forward to it as well. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Ryou whimpered softly, drawing his jacket tighter about his trembling form. He could barely see the dirt path in front of him; it was the blackest part of the night, and it was pouring rain. Ryou flinched as a crash of thunder sounded, lightning flashing, lighting up the entire area for a brief second, and then it was dark once more. Ryou froze for a second or two, but he slowly shook his head, and kept walking. _It…it's all in my head… _But despite it, the teen couldn't help but be afraid as he walked.

Ryou jumped as the thunder sounded again, much louder this time, the rain increasing, making his surroundings even darker. Ryou stiffened as lightning flashed once more, a small bit of hope digging into his body at the sight of a small building up ahead. He took off into a run, soaked to the bone.

Ryou frowned, taking hold of the handle of the door, and opened it, going inside. It was dark inside as well, but at least he couldn't get any more wet than he already was.

"Hello?"

Not getting a response, Ryou took it that the small building was apparently abandoned. Running his hand across the wall, he found a light switch, and tried it; nothing happened. He guessed that the power was either out or not working at all. Sighing, Ryou crossed the room, sitting down in a corner, and tried to go to sleep, occasional bursts of lightning flashing through the single window.

-

"Well no wonder he ran away!"

Bakura swallowed uneasily, staring at the floor. He had woken up both Malik and Marik, and had explained everything that had happened…

Marik merely grumbled, annoyed that he had been awoken.

Malik shook his head. "I can't blame him, Bakura. It's your fault. You're the one that screwed up and hit him and poked at his emotions."

"…I can tell the kid looked up to you, Bakura," Marik muttered, sinking further into a chair. "From what I've heard, you were the only one who ever showed him any patience to get to know him before casting him aside. So just think about it. The kid's an angel who lost his family, was put in the war for his career, has always been screwed with and made fun of… So how do you think he feels now? When the only person that actually gave him a chance is turning into something similar to those that were messing up his life?"

"…He's right, Bakura…"

Bakura said nothing.

"…You'd be lucky if the kid doesn't get into even more trouble," Marik muttered under his breath.

Bakura's hands clenched.

"You do realize, that people can only take so much before they snap? I wouldn't be surprised if the kid doesn't go suicidal…" Marik shook his head. "Look, Bakura. You messed it all up, so you're going to have to fix it."

"…I don't even know where he went…" Bakura whispered.

* * *

Ryou shivered. It was raining again the next morning, though luckily not nearly as hard. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night…

Standing on tiptoe, Ryou strained to reach some of the apples in the tree, since the branches were far too thin to climb. _…Almost…there…_

Ryou's fingertips brushed the bottom of the fruit, standing up just a little more, about to grab it when he heard a voice.

"HEY!"

Ryou spun around, seeing two guys standing there. Ryou slowly began to back away, noticing that they were demons.

"Hey, isn't that the kid they've been talking about?"

"Looks like it…"

Ryou bolted in an instant, his heart racing. He gave a glance over his shoulder, seeing the two coming after him. How were they so fast?

Ryou yelped as his arms were seized, pinned behind him as he was tackled onto the ground. The teen struggled, but it was useless, the elder male's grip vice-like.

"He'll be worth a lot, eh?"

"Probably." The shorter of the two raised an eyebrow at Ryou's multi-colored wings and mess of white hair. "He's a strange one, I'll give him that."

Ryou screamed desperately, trying to attract attention, but there was no one around to hear him. Ryou clenched back a scream as he was roughly yanked to his feet by his hair, not trying to show any weakness.

"You got a name, kid?"

Ryou didn't answer, keeping his gaze downcast.

"Maybe he's mute?"

"Heh. I doubt it…"

Ryou's pulse was rapidly increasing, his body going stiff, his stomach nothing more than a bundle of nerves, a bitter loneliness and fear and dread eating away at him.

* * *

Bakura groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He had left late last night, after the guilt and anxiety became way too much for him, and had been up all night searching for Ryou.

Cupping his hands to his mouth, Bakura started to call the boy's name, wandering forward. The demon froze instantly, picking up a feather upon the ground. A white feather…

_So he's been here._

Bakura frowned a few minutes later at the sight of the small abode, painted a fading black. Bakura noticed one window was open, and after pounding on the door and not getting an answer, climbed through the open window, landing silently on the ground.

"Ryou?" Bakura called, walking forward, but froze as he reached a near bare room that was shrouded in darkness. The thief ran a hand across the wall, finding the light switch, and turned it on. He took an uneasy step forward, picking up a white feather. _Ryou..._

* * *

Ryou tried to keep back tears as he walked. Other than the rope sawing into his wrists, the previous night, he hadn't gotten any sleep; anxiety and dread keeping him wide awake.

"Where's your demon friend?"

Ryou shrugged, keeping his head down so that his tears couldn't be seen.

"Lair."

Ryou screamed as a knife was plunged into his side, making the boy drop to his knees, hunched over in pain.

"Just leave him be. If we got this one, if what they say is true, the other should be coming after him."

_I doubt it. _Ryou thought, keeping his gaze downcast. _It's only wishful thinking._

"Get up, kid."

Ryou, whimpering, did so slowly, his legs trembling, blood oozing through the wound in his side. After half-limping along behind the two older males, Ryou burst into tears.

_I want Bakura here..._

* * *

Bakura swore under his breath. It was getting far too dark for him to see. Casting his gaze upwards, Bakura took notice of the full moon hanging above him, an occasional cloud blocking its view. The demon smirked, for once happy about his time coming.

For a minute or two, his legs went weak, his pulse ringing in his ears. But he didn't try to fight it this time around, his eyes going crimson. The male took off in a run, fangs curving from his lips as he jumped, taking off airborne.

…_I smell blood…_

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he increased his speed, following the scent. It seemed familiar to him…

…_Ryou's blood?_

Bakura smirked as the scent strengthened out, and he went a little faster, and after about five minutes, landed onto the ground. The scent of blood was so strong; it was as if Bakura could already taste it…

Bakura looked about in the darkness, counting himself lucky his vampire image could see this well in the shadows. His ears twitched as he heard what sounded like a whimper, following the sound, which led him to what looked like to an inlet to a cave. The thief watched, hidden in the darkness.

Bakura's heart stopped for a second, recognizing the small figure curled up on the ground.

"He's so weak, I tell you…he can't even handle a little bit of pain."

"Whatever. It doesn't surprise me, considering how weak angels are."

Bakura's jaw tightened.

"Maybe we should-" The male's voice was cut short as Bakura lunged out from the bushes, and jumping, gave the demon a kick to the head, which sent him into a heap on the ground. Bakura glared at the other one, who froze for a second. Bakura swung outwards with his fist, only to have it blocked. The thief, good and ticked, drew his sword in an instant, stabbing the other demon in the stomach, and kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground, both now out of it.

Putting his sword back at his waist, Bakura quickly went over to Ryou. The angel looked unconscious, trembling and crying, blood showing through the fabric of his shirt. Lifting the teenager's shirt slightly, Bakura grimaced at the wounds and how much thinner Ryou looked. He almost looked…sick.

Taking notice of the binds about Ryou's wrists, Bakura cut them apart with his sword, frowning at Ryou's raw and bloody wrists.

"…Ryou…Ryou, wake up…" Bakura murmured, gently shaking the boy's shoulder. When the boy's eyes didn't open, Bakura sighed deeply, picking him up in his arms, surprised at how much lighter he seemed to be.

"I'm so sorry, Ryou…" Bakura whispered, his heartstrings tugging in pity at the sight of the teenager. "So sorry…"

The demon was straining not to bite the boy and use him as a blood source, not knowing how much blood had already drained out of his veins… Bakura took notice of the younger boy's nose, which was bleeding quite a bit.

Bakura took off in a run, jumping from the ground and into the air in flight, being careful of the teenage bundle in his arms.

* * *

Bakura was panting as he reached the medical ward doors. It was still dark outside, and he had gone as fast as he possibly could, possibly making a record from his speeds. With sweat trickling down the thief's face, his wings aching, he took off in a sprint down the hallway, holding onto Ryou.

"Get me a doctor!" Bakura yelled, glancing down at Ryou's deathly pale face, the angel breathing beyond heavily.

Bakura's heart was pounding in his chest, a ringing in his ears. He hadn't gotten any blood that night, and he was having a harder and harder time resisting the bleeding bundle in his arms.

The demon stumbled, dropping to his knees, gasping in pain, the need for blood increasing by the minute. Bakura forced himself to his feet, relieved when some people finally arrived, taking Ryou from the thief.

Bakura, exhausted, finally collapsed, his vampire senses kicking into high gear as the pain began to rise beyond his control.

The demon managed to stand halfway, groaning, and clutched at his chest, his pointed ears twitching, though hidden under his mess of white hair. Struggling, Bakura managed to follow the doctors, not wanting to abandon the fairly damaged teenager.

* * *

Chapter 16: End.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura grimaced, hunched over in a chair in the hallway. His crimson orbs seemed to flash, the thief wrapping his arms tight about his stomach, his jaw going tight. He _needed_ blood, _now. _Bakura growled loudly in pain, his hands clenched so tightly that his claws were making prints in his palms. The still strong scent of Ryou's blood wasn't helping either.

When the nurse came out into the hall, telling Bakura he could come in, the thief instantly jumped to his feet, and went into the room.

Ryou's bed was propped a little ways upright, the boy's head turned to one side, one hand draped across his stomach, the other merely cast aside on top of the sheets. Bakura took a seat next to the teen, his insides raging, his vampire senses trying to kick him away.

Ryou groaned then, the angel's eyes slowly fluttering open, his eyes blank.

Bakura didn't say anything and merely let Ryou look around as he rapidly blinked, his eyes slowly returning to the normal shade of brown, and the angel came to a slow realization he was in a hospital room.

"…Ryou?"

Ryou's head snapped towards Bakura's direction, the angel frozen for a minute or so, and then the memories came pouring back.

"…K…Kura…?" Ryou managed to choke out, and instantly started to cough, his head falling backwards into the pillow. "…H-Hurts…"

Bakura blinked, a tad confused for a second or two. "What hurts?"

"…E-Every…thing…" Ryou whispered, tears in his eyes.

Bakura's heart seemed to swell in guilt and pity as Ryou whimpered softly, starting to cry.

"Don't cry, Ryou…"

Ryou nodded, wiping his eyes. Still teary eyed, he looked up at Bakura, noticing the demon's blood red eyes and his visible discomfort. "…V…Vampire…?" He whispered, his throat aching at every syllable.

Bakura nodded.

"…Blood?" Ryou asked.

Bakura sighed and shook his head, his arms wrapped tight about his stomach, struggling to control himself.

"…Me…?"

Bakura stiffened, shaking his head. "I don't want to use you, Ryou. I don't know how much blood you lost, and I don't want to hurt you."

Ryou shook his head. The angel pointed weakly behind his bed, and Bakura's gaze followed where he pointed. There was a small blood bag on a stand, and Bakura now noticed the IV pierced into Ryou's right arm. "…I…I'll…be…fine." Ryou smiled weakly.

Bakura swallowed and stood, and sat down on the edge of the angel's bed. The angel didn't even look slightly afraid of him… Grabbing hold of Ryou's shoulders, Bakura pushed him backwards, biting down on Ryou's neck.

Ryou whimpered softly as Bakura bit down harder, greedily drinking the angel's blood. Ryou tensed slightly, Bakura's claws digging into his shoulders as he drank, nails almost drawing blood due to the force the thief was using.

Bakura's eyes were tightly shut, a wave of relief crashing over him as the blood passed his lips. He heard Ryou softly whimper, but didn't really pay it much mind.

Ryou blinked, weakly sinking against the bed, feeling blood leak down his throat, and winced as Bakura's fangs buried in deeper as his blood feast continued. It was almost three minutes before Bakura pulled away, gasping for breath.

Ryou, weakened beyond measure, merely collapsed against the bed, struggling to stay awake. Bakura wiped the blood away with his sleeve, staring down at Ryou. "…Thank you…"

Ryou merely nodded, his consciousness slipping away.

* * *

Bakura was already awake by the time Ryou did. The demon's eyes were bloodshot slightly from his lack of sleep, and by trying to sleep in a chair, he had gotten very little last night. The demon yawned as Ryou opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times before weakly trying to sit up.

"…Ryou…I…I need to talk to you…"

Ryou looked at him, his face rather pale.

"…I…I'm sorry…" Bakura said quietly, staring at his shoes. "…I…I can't blame you for running away. And I can't blame you if you hate me…" Bakura lifted his head, looking at Ryou in the eyes. "If you don't want to stay around me anymore, then fine…"

Ryou didn't say anything, lowering his gaze to the sheets on the bed.

Bakura sighed and stood. "I'm going to go get breakfast. I'll bring you back something, okay?"

Ryou watched Bakura walk out of the room and into the hallway, merely staring at the open doorway.

_I know he says he's sorry…but… And I don't want him to leave, but yet…I don't want to get hurt anymore… And a part of me wants to hate him, yet…another part of me doesn't._

_What do I do now?_

Ryou, tears in his eyes, pulled the blanket over himself, putting his head down on the pillow, a sad look in his eyes.

-

Bakura sighed, carrying the two trays down the hallway. He had almost ran into two people on the way…

"I'm back, Ryou…" Bakura muttered, pushing open the door with his hip. He froze, however, at the sight of Ryou in tears. The demon frowned, setting down the trays on the side table, and sat down beside Ryou. "…Are…are you okay?"

Bakura's frown deepened when Ryou didn't answer. A bit hesitant, Bakura placed his fingers on the boy's forehead, stiffening slightly at the sudden temperature difference. _He must have a fever…_

Yet the teenager continued to cry.

"…Ryou? What's the matter?"

Ryou visibly grimaced, stiffening slightly. "…H-Hurts…" He whispered, clutching the sheets. "…A-All over…"

Bakura sighed. "It'll go away soon, okay?"

Ryou whimpered as Bakura placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, making Ryou flinch. "…Are you hungry?"

Ryou hesitated, but nodded slowly, lifting a hand to wipe his eyes. Bakura gave a small sigh of relief, picking up Ryou's tray and set it down on the boy's lap. "…T-Thank you…" Ryou murmured, whimpering softly.

"…Don't mention it," Bakura muttered gruffly, starting to eat his own food.

After a few minutes, Bakura lifted an eyebrow, seeing that Ryou had barely touched his food. "Are you okay, Ryou?"

The angel bit his lip. "…I…I don't…feel well…" Ryou whispered, keeping his gaze downcast. "…I…I was out in the rain a lot…"

_I knew it. _Bakura thought, frowning. He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. _First I get into a fight with him, he runs away, gets caught by two demons and gets beat up again and wounded, and then I use him as a blood source, and now he's sick! Poor kid…_

"…Tell you what. I'll go see if any of the doctors have some medicine you can take. It'll make you feel better." Bakura stood, but froze as Ryou grabbed the end of his shirt, keeping his gaze downcast.

"…C…Can I come…?"

Bakura sighed and shook his head, gently pulling Ryou's hand from his shirt. "…Ryou…you need to rest, okay? I'll be back soon."

Going to the door, Bakura glanced over his shoulder, seeing Ryou pulling the blankets over himself and turning away so that his back was to the world around him. Bakura sighed, leaving the room.

* * *

Ryou sneezed, groaning aloud. Bakura had forced him to take the medicine he had gotten, and it tasted horrible, and left an aftertaste in his mouth.

Bakura was sitting beside him, and frowned slightly. "Does your head still hurt?"

Ryou shook his head slightly, sneezing again. He groaned, resting his head on the soft pillow on his bed, the blankets pulled up to his shoulders. Beads of sweat were visible on the teen's forehead, his cheeks pale.

"…I hate being sick," Ryou grumbled.

"Don't we all?" Bakura answered, grinning slightly.

Ryou didn't answer, his eyes closed.

"…Ryou?"

The boy didn't answer, moving slightly. Bakura guessed he had fallen asleep. The demon stood up, sighing. "'Guess I'll get him lunch while I'm at it…"

Bakura walked into the hallway, hands in his pockets. He had his gaze on the floor as he walked, his mind full of thoughts. _He likes chicken noodle soup, right?_

Bakura grunted as he ran into someone as he turned the corner, his head snapping up.

"…Oh. Hey, Bakura."

Bakura blinked at Marik, and didn't say anything.

"So you must have found the kid, hmm? Last night you basically woke the whole hospital up with your yelling."

"…I found him. He was hurt, though, so…" Bakura shrugged. "Now the kid's sick."

Marik merely smirked, continuing down the hallway. "Good luck with all that."

Bakura grumbled, continuing down the hallway.

-

Ryou shifted his position in his sleep, his eyes slowly flickering open. Ryou groaned quietly, running a hand through his hair. His legs were numb, apparently from sitting still all day.

Glancing about, and not seeing Bakura in the room, Ryou pulled back the covers, planting his feet on the floor. The boy stiffened as he heard the door opening, his gaze instantly going in that direction.

Bakura entered the room, holding onto two bowls, and froze when he saw Ryou sitting on the edge of the bed, about to stand up. "…What are you doing?"

Ryou didn't answer, keeping his gaze downcast.

Bakura sighed and crossed the room, setting down the bowls next to Ryou's bed, and crouched down so that the two were at eye level. "…Ryou, I know you don't like to be bedridden, but you need to get better… You need to rest…"

"…I don't want to…"

"Okay then. I'll make a deal with you."

Ryou lifted his head, looking at him with confused brown eyes.

"…You stay in bed and rest, and when you get better, you can decide what you want to do."

Ryou blinked once, and then twice. "…Anything?"

"Yes."

"…You're going to have to come along you know."

"I know, I know." Bakura grinned slightly, standing up. "Now get back in bed. I brought you lunch."

Ryou blinked again, and slowly crawled back into bed as he was told, and Bakura placed a bowl into his hands. The angel looked up at Bakura, appearing to think for a minute, and then smiled. "Deal."

* * *

Chapter 17: End.


	18. Chapter 18

Two updates in one day, yay!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

"Ryou, hold still…"

"I-I can't…" Ryou whimpered, tears in his eyes. He was lying on his back, Bakura sitting right beside him. The teenager was quivering; scared to death when it was said he'd have to get a couple stitches for the knife wound in his side, since it had went in too deep.

Bakura sighed. "Look, just hold on real tight, okay? It'll be over before you know it."

Ryou managed to stop trembling, clutching Bakura's wrist with his right hand as tight as he could, the demon's skin paling, but Bakura didn't say anything. Bakura knew it was going to hurt him, since the doctors had told him sedative would take too long, and there were certain reasons they didn't want Ryou to be unconscious during this. There wasn't anything to lessen the pain for the boy.

Ryou took a deep breath, gritting his teeth, and held on to Bakura's wrist with a near crushing force. Bakura felt pity rise into his stomach as Ryou strained to keep from screaming, his grip so tight on the thief's wrist it was as if his bones were breaking.

Ryou screamed, his body almost going into a spasm.

"Ryou, hold still!"

"I-I can't…it h-hurts, Bakura…"

Bakura hesitated, but moved Ryou's head so that Ryou was looking at him. Bakura began to murmur, as if phrases in a language Ryou had no understanding of. Bakura smiled as Ryou's body went almost limp as the boy calmed down, and the thief continued to talk quietly to the teen until Ryou's eyes began to slowly cloud over. _It works every time. _Bakura thought with a small smile. His voice was soft, even soothing.

"Done."

Bakura glanced at the four black marks on Ryou's side, shaking his head. Seeing Ryou's eyes closed, the demon stopped his soft murmuring, giving the doctor thanks before hauling Ryou up in his arms. Ryou dozed lightly, silently, an utter look of innocence across his face.

Bakura managed to carry the boy back into the room he was registered in, and gently placed Ryou's form on the bed, pulling the covers over him. The thief sat down in the chair beside the boy's bed, falling almost instantly into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

* * *

_W…What happened…? I thought I was-…I…I don't understand… I fell asleep…?_

"…Ryou…? Ryou, hey, wake up…"

The angel's eyes slowly opened, seeing Bakura sitting beside him. Ryou tried to sit up, but froze, pain slicing through his side, and with a cry, fell back down.

"Careful. You just got stitches, remember?"

"Y-Yeah…" Ryou stammered, propping himself up on his elbows. He looked at Bakura. "…When I was getting them…you were whispering…but…but I couldn't understand you…"

Bakura blinked, and lowered his gaze. Ryou instantly regretted it, seeing a small flash of sadness in Bakura's eyes.

"…I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean-"

"…It's not your fault…" Bakura said quietly, dragging his sneakers across the tiled floor idly. "…It…just reminds me of my family, is all…"

"…I don't understand…"

Bakura didn't answer.

"But…you don't have tell me," Ryou said quickly, not wanting to upset the demon. "I…I understand…"

Ryou blinked as Bakura stood up, "I'm sorry, Ryou…but…but I need to go…" He almost ran to the door, yelling over his shoulder, "I'll be back soon!"

Ryou sighed as the door closed. He was alone once more…

Racking his memory, Ryou tried to pronounce some of the words, but it sounded nothing like the way Bakura had said them. _Where did he learn that?_

-

Bakura ran down the hallway, his hand curled about his chest. _No…he can't be…_

Bakura stumbled, gasping for breath. The thief rushed about the corner, nearly slamming into a nurse on the way, and darted down the narrow corridor. Bakura's eyes flashed black once as the demon's vision suddenly blurred, colliding with a wall, and was sent tumbling backwards before dropping to his knees.

_I…can't let him get back out…_

Bakura's entire body was trembling, white bangs falling over his face and into his eyes. Bakura lifted a quaking hand, digging through his pockets, and fished out a knife, glinting in the light of the hospital.

_I'm sorry, Ryou…but…I have to…_

Bakura lifted the weapon; bracing himself, he plunged it into his abdomen, blood oozing out. The thief's hand continued to tremble as he twisted the blade, making more blood come, and swiftly yanked the weapon out, blood spilling onto the white, tiled floor.

Bakura, gasping, wiped the bloody knife on his jeans, slipping it back into his pocket before resting his head on the wall, trembling, clutching his stomach, blood starting to drench his fingers. The thief's nose was bleeding slightly from slamming into the wall, but he didn't pay it any mind.

"Bakura?!"

Bakura cursed under his breath at the sight of Ryou at the start of the hall.

"What are you-…" Ryou froze, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of the blood on the floor and leaking out of the thief's stomach, Bakura hunched over, clutching his stomach, blood drenching his hands.

"…What happened to you…?" Ryou whispered, running over to the demon.

Bakura didn't answer him, his gaze kept down.

"…Come on."

Ryou pulled the thief to his feet, about to help him walk, but taking notice of the wound in the demon's stomach, guessed he wouldn't be able to, even with his help.

Bakura sunk back down onto the floor, gasping in pain, his eyes tightly shut. Ryou, struggling, managed to pull to thief onto his back before taking off down the hallway in a run.

* * *

…_Did I faint…?_

Bakura opened his eyes, finding himself in bed, wrinkled sheets draped across his body, his right arm draped across his stomach, his left, lying motionless on the bed, was pierced with a needle. Bakura weakly tried to sit up, his eyes going wide as intense pain sliced into his stomach.

Bakura lifted the blankets and his shirt, finding his abdomen already bandaged, a frown crossing Bakura's features. _How long have I been out of it?_

Bakura ripped back the covers, putting his bare feet to the floor, and ripped out the needle in his arm, not even flinching. The thief stood, taking only a few seconds to put his socks and shoes on, and walked out of the room and into the hallway.

He took a minute to glance up at the sign above his door. _Ward B… What was Ryou's…? A?_

Bakura walked down the corridors, hands tucked in his trench coat pockets. _Idiots. If they saw Ryou carrying me, then wouldn't it be a better idea to put me in the same room?_

Bakura turned the corner, going to the door to the ward, and pushed the door open, seeing Ryou's small figure curled up in a bed. Bakura crossed the room, going over to the boy's bed, and froze at the sight of tears trickling down the teen's cheeks as he slept.

Bakura, a bit hesitant, placed his hands firmly on the teenager's shoulders. "Show me, Ryou…"

It was the boy's memories of after Bakura fainted.

Bakura sighed, removing his hands. He stiffened as Ryou's eyes slowly opened, a bit clouded over. He blinked, glancing over at Bakura, and sat bolt upright.

"B-Bakura, what are you-"

"I woke up…I didn't want you to worry…"

Ryou's eyes were shining with tears, and the boy lowered his gaze.

"…I…ran away…because…well…the demon…" Bakura stammered, lowering his gaze, and rubbed the back of his head. "…It…was trying to get out… I…I'm sorry about what happened, Ryou… I…just didn't want it to get out…"

"…Oh…" Ryou's expression softened slightly. "It's okay…"

After a few minutes, Ryou was a bit surprised when Bakura spoke. "…It's a song…"

Ryou blinked at him, but said nothing.

"…When I forgot the words to the one my Mother used to sing…I guess I just made up my own…using the same pace, I guess not to completely forget about it…"

"What language is it?"

Bakura shrugged. "Sometimes, the villagers would speak to one another in it. I forgot basically all of it, except the parts of the song…" Bakura forced a small grin. "I guess I could teach it to you…"

"Please?" Ryou asked. He liked it, even though he didn't understand it at all.

"Fine, fine…" Bakura's gaze rose to the ceiling. "…It always…seems to calm people down…" He whispered, closing his eyes. Ryou only smiled.

* * *

_/A few days later…/_

"Ryou, come on!"

"I said I'm coming!"

Bakura sighed. After much convincing and force, he had managed to drag Ryou to one of the indoor pools down the street, since the boy had only recovered from his cold yesterday or so, to teach him to swim.

Ryou blushed slightly, wearing a pair of deep blue shorts, and no shirt. Bakura was the same, but his shorts were black, the demon looking a bit impatient. "Finally. What took you so long?"

Ryou bit his lip, "I…guess I'm just a little nervous…"

"Don't be."

Ryou squeaked as Bakura seized his wrist, dragging him along. Ryou swallowed uneasily, but he didn't want to disappoint Bakura, after all the trouble he had gone through…

Bakura only let Ryou go as he reached the edge, jumping in alone. Ryou tried to stifle his laughter, seeing that Bakura hadn't jumped soon enough, and his position looked rather odd.

Bakura frowned as his head came above water, his hair plastered to his head. "Don't laugh at me! I messed up, okay?"

Ryou smiled slightly.

"Now you'd better get here or I'll push you in, got it?"

Ryou sighed. Being dragged to the deepest end of the water wasn't helping, seeing as Bakura couldn't touch the bottom…

Bakura groaned, swimming to the edge, and pulled himself out. "Fine. We'll have to do this the hard way, won't we?"

"Bakura, wait-"

Ryou's eyes widened in terror as Bakura took off in a run, clutching the angel's arm, and jumped. Ryou's heart froze for a second, and barely had to time to get a breath of air before hitting the water. Underneath, Ryou struggled in Bakura's grip, yanking his arm free, but instantly regretted it, seeing that he wasn't able to move…

Ryou screamed, a sea of bubbles tearing from his throat, his eyes clamped shut. He felt Bakura's hands wrap about his arms, roughly yanking him above the surface. Ryou gasped, trembling slightly, horrified, not wanting to go back under.

Bakura noticed Ryou's fear and discomfort instantly. "Ryou, I got you, okay? I won't let you drown…" He said, kicking his legs to keep his own head above the surface, holding on to Ryou, keeping at least a fourth of the boy's body above the surface. Ryou whimpered, obvious fear in his eyes.

"…Okay. Try to follow after me…"

Ryou whimpered as Bakura let him go, swimming back over to the edge. Ryou was straining to keep his head above the surface of the water. When he was Amane, they were only in water up to the boy's waist…

"Come on, Ryou…"

Bakura blinked as Ryou clumsily made his way forward before going back underwater. Bakura sighed, going underneath the surface, and pushing off the edge of the pool, went after Ryou.

_This may take longer than I thought…_

* * *

Chapter 18: End.


	19. Chapter 19

Aww, noooo, just one chapter left and then it's over. D: Well...at least Part III is coming next. xD

Well, I've changed my mind about redoing 'Mystery in Memory' and 'Awaken Me From This Nightmare'. Hopefully I'll update them soon. To those of you that have been waiting for me to update them, thank you so MUCH for your patience...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura pushed open the doors to the hospital. The two had been at the pool for near hours, and right after they changed back into their normal clothes, Ryou had fallen asleep. Bakura shook his head, his hair still wet a bit, in remembrance. Ryou shifted slightly in his sleep, on Bakura's back, his head against the elder boy's shoulder.

Bakura carried him back to his registered room, gently putting the teen down on the bed and pulled the covers up. Ryou curled up even further, snuggling deeper under the covers.

A small smile tugged on Bakura's face as the thief sat down in the chair beside the angel's bed, and slowly went to sleep himself.

* * *

Ryou giggled, standing knee deep in the water, Bakura standing beside him, holding their shoes. True to his promise, Bakura had let Ryou do what he wanted that day, and Ryou, after much thought, wanted to go down to the beach. Lucky for Bakura, it was only a mile or so away.

Ryou looked up at Bakura, the demon blinking down at him. "…What?"

"…Have you ever made a sand castle before?" Ryou asked, tilting his head to one side slightly.

"A sand castle?" Bakura repeated, blinking. Ryou almost laughed at the utter confusion that spread across his face.

"Come on, I haven't done one in _years_!" Ryou said, grabbing Bakura's wrist and led him back onto the sand. "We can do one together."

Ryou got down on his knees, just a little bit away from the water's edge. Bakura crouched down beside him, watching in confusion as Ryou slowly started it, and Bakura slowly learned himself, helping Ryou.

"Okay, so, you said we needed shells or something?"

"Yeah, just looks for ones that the tide dragged in."

Bakura stood up, and dusting off his legs, went off.

Ryou blinked a few minutes later when Bakura came back. "That was fast…"

"Yeah, there were a lot of them piled up…" Bakura muttered, emptying his short pockets. "So I just stick them on the sides?"

"You can put them wherever you want."

Bakura grinned slightly, starting to put the shells on the sides and edges, managing to stick one on top that was a deep shade of gray.

Ryou smiled to himself. "I guess we're done…"

"I guess so," Bakura answered, hiding a smile. "Oh, hey. I forgot one," he said, rummaging through his pocket, pulling out a full shell, a brilliant shade of white. "Here."

Ryou blinked as Bakura slipped it into his hands, looking down at it, and looked back up at Bakura. "It's beautiful, Bakura…" Ryou slipped it into his own pocket. "And you just found it lying on the ground?"

"Yep." Bakura smiled slightly, standing up, and so did Ryou. The demon picked up their shoes, dusting himself off. "Anyway, we need to go."

"But why?"

"Because we're going out to dinner. Now come on."

Bakura started to walk away, and Ryou, frozen for a second, ran after him, smiling.

* * *

The two were walking back to the hospital, the sun slowly setting in the distance. Bakura glanced at Ryou, seeing the angel merely staring at the ground as he walked. "Ryou? You okay?"

Ryou lifted his head silently, and Bakura froze, seeing that Ryou was crying. "Ryou, what's wrong?"

Ryou shook his head, smiling. "Nothing…it's just…I haven't had a time like this in so long, Bakura…"

Bakura blinked, seeing Ryou still crying in what he took as happiness. His expression slowly softened. "I had a good time, too, Ryou…" He murmured.

Ryou blinked as Bakura took his arms, close to the boy's wrists. Ryou squeaked, Bakura hoisting the angel off the ground, his arm muscles tensing. "B-Bakura-" Ryou's eyes widened slightly as Bakura gently began swinging the teenager's body, back and forth as he walked, holding onto Ryou's arms, but not tight enough to hurt him.

Bakura hid a grin. _He's still a kid at heart._

Ryou looked up at Bakura, eyes glistening with tears, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

Eventually, Bakura's arms were growing tired, and had to put Ryou down, just as they reached the set of double doors. Ryou started to cry again, shaking his head, white bangs falling into his eyes. "I cry too much, don't I?"

"…No." Bakura answered, bending down a little so that he could get eye level with Ryou. "It's nothing you need to be ashamed of."

Ryou blinked, smiling. Bakura stood upright, only to freeze as Ryou lunged out, capturing him in a hug. "Thank you…" Ryou whispered.

"…You're welcome," Bakura answered quietly, letting Ryou hug him. Ryou wiped his eyes when he pulled away, smiling again as Bakura pushed open the doors.

* * *

Bakura, still seated in the chair, the upper half of his body sprawled on Ryou's empty bed, deep in sleep.

Ryou entered the room, sighing. He didn't want to wake him up, but he didn't want him to sleep too late, either. It was going on noon…

"Bakura…Bakura, wake up…" Ryou murmured, gently shaking the elder boy's shoulders. Bakura groaned, his eyes opening only slightly, sunlight near blinding him. "Hn…?"

"Come on, you need to get up…"

"Ten more minutes," Bakura mumbled, closing his eyes again.

"No, Bakura."

"But Ryouuu…" Bakura whined, his eyes still closed.

"Bakuraaa…" Ryou mocked, smiling slightly.

"Okay, okay…fine…I'm up, I'm up…" Bakura groaned, lifting his head sleepily. "What's so important, anyway?"

"…I get to leave today."

Bakura blinked sleepily at him.

"…Meaning…we can go home."

Bakura blinked again, and then twice more. "…Oh. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Ryou sighed as Bakura dragged himself up, almost stumbling towards the bathroom. Bakura came back out a few minutes later, running a hand through his hair sleepily. "Better get going then, I guess…"

"You guys are leaving?"

Both albinos looked at the door, seeing Malik and Marik standing in the doorway.

"…Yeah…"

Ryou silently began to put on his shoes, not looking at anyone. As Bakura talked with them, Ryou merely went into the hallway, silently making his way into the lobby.

All three of them looked into the hallway, seeing Ryou turn the corner, his head kept down.

_He must not want to say good-bye… _Bakura thought, frowning slightly, and sighed. "Anyway, we need to go. Ryou's been wanting to go home for like a month now, so…"

"…Humph. You'd better take good care of him, Bakura. Try not to break him into pieces," Marik grumbled, arms crossed.

"Aw, someone's moody this morning," Bakura said with a grin, slugging Marik in the shoulder, and the blonde punched him back.

"…Bye." Bakura wandered out into the hallway, going into a run when he hit the corner.

The two blondes looked at each other. "So now what?"

-

Bakura ran down the narrow corridor, coming to a stop as he reached the lobby. Ryou was seated on the couch, staring blankly out of the window. Bakura went over to him, gently placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You ready?"

"…Yeah." Ryou stood up, rubbing at his eyes, and glanced again out of the window. "…I…I'm going to miss them…"

"I know…but I gave them our address, just in case they were in town, so they could visit…"

It made Ryou smile a little.

"Now come on."

Ryou ran after Bakura as the thief darted out of the hospital, the two stopping temporarily. It was bright, not a cloud in the sky, an autumn breeze drifting past the two.

"I'll start."

Bakura pulled the teenager onto his back, taking off in a run, and took off airborne, Ryou's body placed between the thief's wings. Ryou smiled, his hands placed on the elder male's shoulders, the angel's hair being sent out behind him as Bakura flew through the air.

* * *

"Okay, do you want anything?"

Bakura blinked. Ryou had wanted to stop by a store to get some groceries…

"What's this stuff?" He asked, pointing.

"It's watermelon…"

"What's it taste like?" Bakura asked, tilting his head to one side slightly.

"Um…well, it's a fruit…and it's sweet…" Ryou shook his head. "You know what, I think it'd be easier if we just bought some for you and let you try it. But we can only get a few wedges…a whole one would be way too heavy."

"Okay."

The two left a few minutes later, Bakura offering to carry the grocery bag. Ryou had made sure to only buy some things that wouldn't spoil, and had made sure to grab a little box of paper towels while he was in there.

"Ryou, is there supposed to be seeds in this?"

"Yes. You eat the red part but spit the seeds out, okay?" Ryou rummaged through the bag and handed Bakura a handful of paper towels. "You're going to need these."

Ryou giggled quietly as Bakura tried to eat the fruit, the demon's eyes going wide when the juice came out. "That's why I gave you paper towels…"

Ryou barely contained his laughter when Bakura bit the green part, spitting it out instantly. "Ugh…"

"You're not supposed to eat that either…"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

Ryou shrugged, smiling slightly.

Bakura merely shrugged it off, looking at Ryou. "You want one?"

"Um…"

"Ryou, just take a piece," Bakura said, rolling his eyes.

There was silence for a while as the two ate, early November winds kicking up the multi-covered leaves that lined the ground.

"…When's your birthday?" Ryou asked suddenly, looking up at Bakura.

"…I don't know…" Bakura murmured, his gaze downcast.

"…We can share a birthday, if you want…"

Bakura lifted his head, staring at Ryou with dark, brown eyes, his lips slowly curving into a small smile.

"You're a good kid, Ryou."

* * *

Chapter 19: End.


	20. Chapter 20

Noooo, the final chapter. D: I'm going to miss this... But I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed this, and I'm already looking forward to making Part III...

But, luckily, this is a happy chapter! YAY! xD

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

"Bakura, can you do me a favor and go through your clothes? I need to know if we need to buy more, since we haven't bought any new outfits in months…some of our stuff is probably too small…" Ryou said quietly, speaking the truth, since both boys had grown a few inches since last year.

"Yeah, okay…" Bakura stood up, crossing his bedroom as Ryou left, going over to his closet, and pulled out his shirts, dumping them on the bed, and pulled out just about all of his jeans from his dresser.

Going through the clothes, Bakura stopped at a black shirt, one he didn't remember. Frowning, he pulled off his current short-sleeved shirt, tossing it on the floor, revealing his muscular stomach and chest, and pulled it on, looking in the mirror, and cursed quietly under his breath. _Man, this thing is tight…_

After a little bit of thought, Bakura put on his trench coat over it, looking in the mirror once more. _But I look good in it. _Bakura merely shrugged, shedding his trench coat, and pulled off the shirt, stuffing it in a drawer for keeps.

-

Ryou sighed in relief. Most of his stuff still fitted him, although a couple of his shirts were too small for him now. Picking up the small bag of clothes that no longer fit, Ryou started down the stairs, meeting Bakura on the way. Ryou froze instantly. "What are you wearing?"

Bakura looked down at himself, currently wearing the black shirt from before, the shirt hugging his chest. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Well, um, don't you think it's too small for you? It looks…tight…"

"Nope, it's fine. I like it." Bakura slung his bag over his shoulder, starting down the stairs. Ryou only shook his head.

* * *

Bakura grumbled to himself, sitting in a chair, watching it rain outside. Ryou had left about an hour ago to get some groceries and clothes, and now he was probably caught in the rain…

As if on cue, the front door opened, Ryou stumbled inside and shutting the door behind him, and dropped his umbrella on the floor. "Sorry it took me so long, Bakura…I was about to come home and it started raining pretty hard…"

"…It's fine…" Bakura muttered, resting his head on the windowsill, watching the droplets of rain race down the windowpane.

"I got you some clothes while I was out."

Bakura looked at Ryou, "You got me dark colors, right?"

"Yeah, of course I did." Ryou replied, knowing the demon hated light colors, and tossed Bakura the bag. "Here."

Bakura rummaged through the bag, pausing when he found another black shirt that seemed a bit smaller than the rest. _Eh? _He pulled it out, taking off his current shirt, and stood, going over to the mirror. Slipping on the newest shirt, the thief stared at himself in the mirror.

Ryou came back into the room then, finding Bakura trying it on. "Um…you said you liked that other one, so I thought you'd like another tight one or something…" Ryou mumbled, staring at the floor. "The other ones are loose, though…"

"…Are you kidding me? Ryou, this one is even better." Bakura turned around, and Ryou found that it revealed most of Bakura's stomach and a couple inches of his backside.

_I just hope he doesn't grow out of it right away…otherwise I'll have to go and buy him more. I'm actually surprised it even fits him at all, considering it's half a size smaller than the other one…_

Bakura, not even caring that he could barely get it on or off, considering it was just about far too small for him and that it was rather tight about his chest, smirked as he looked in the mirror. _Man, I'm hot._

* * *

"I win again." Ryou said, smiling. Bakura pouted, leaning back in the armchair, and crossed his arms. "No fair. You're too good at this game."

Ryou only smiled, picking up the cards, and started to shuffle before setting down the pile in the middle of the coffee table, and drew a couple cards, Bakura doing the same.

"Um…a three," Ryou said quietly, drawing another card.

"Five," Bakura grumbled, drawing as well.

Each time they played a card, they drew the same number they played. The pile to draw from was quickly disappearing.

"Seven."

"Ten. Ha." Bakura grinned as he moved the pile out of the way, staring at his hand of three cards. "Three."

"Um…nine."

"King."

Ryou stared at his hand, and then looked up at Bakura, and for a minute, Bakura thought he had him, at least until Ryou played a card. "Ace."

Bakura grumbled to himself, picking up the pile of cards and added it to his hand. The pile to draw from was gone, and Ryou picked up his remainder of cards, which equaled six. "Four."

"…Three fives."

"Six."

"Eight."

"Jack."

"Queen."

"King."

Bakura grinned. "Ace." To his shock, Ryou smiled, setting down an ace on top of Bakura's. Bakura frowned, searching through his rather large hand. "Ace." He was relieved he had another in his hand, and grinned at Ryou.

"…Two…" Ryou said softly, placing the card down. It was the only card you could play on an ace besides another ace, and you could play a two on _any _card.

"I win again, Bakura," he said quietly, smiling, his hands empty.

Bakura groaned, slapping down his hand on the table before leaning back in the chair. "I give up. You've won like, fifteen games in a row, and I haven't won once!"

"…I've played it for a long time…"

"I can tell," Bakura grumbled, crossing his arms.

Ryou stood up, "I'm going to go make dinner, okay?"

Bakura nodded, hoping that Ryou was making steak. It made him feel better.

* * *

"Bakura, I'm home!"

"Finally! What took you so long?!"

"I had to get groceries…we were running out of some stuff…" Ryou mumbled, setting the bangs on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, what's this?" Bakura asked, pulling out a bag of marshmallows. "Ryou, what are these things?"

Ryou hesitated, but sighed. "I was going to save those for later…but…you can eat them. They're good, I promise."

"Sweet!" Bakura ran from the room.

"Don't eat too many, okay?!" Ryou called.

"Yeah, yeah!" Bakura yelled, not really listening.

-

Ryou placed his hands on his hips. "I told you not to eat too many of those!"

Bakura only groaned, cradling his stomach.

Ryou shook his head. About an hour ago Bakura was almost bouncing off the walls in a sugar rush, but it had worn off, Bakura apparently eating almost the whole bag, since Ryou had discovered the plastic bag in Bakura's room with only a few left in it. "You probably weren't even listening, were you?"

"…N…No…" Bakura confessed, and groaned again, clutching his stomach even tighter. Bakura groaned louder, curling up in a ball on the couch.

_I guess sometimes they have to learn the hard way…_ Ryou sighed.

* * *

Bakura awoke slowly the next morning, and his stomach was still messed up a little. He had thrown up a couple times yesterday, but he felt a lot better than yesterday.

Dragging himself into the kitchen, Bakura found Ryou making breakfast, and Bakura's eyes caught a bag of marshmallows on the counter, unopened. Bakura visibly shuddered, peering over Ryou's shoulder. "What're you making?"

"Um…hash browns and toast…I made you some bacon, if you're feeling well enough to eat it…"

Bakura perked up in an instant. "Bacon?"

Ryou sighed, "In the microwave."

Bakura darted over to the microwave, near ripping the door open.

"_Someone _must be feeling better," Ryou commented.

"Humph." Bakura stuck out his tongue at Ryou before stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth.

-

"Ryou?" Bakura asked a few hours later, the two seated on the couch.

"Hmm?"

"Um…are we able to go somewhere? Because I…kind of…was going to take you earlier but you were busy, so…" Bakura merely stared down at the floor, the faintest blush on his cheeks.

"…Sure."

-

"Just a little farther, I promise," Bakura said, climbing further uphill. Ryou was following him, the angel's legs aching.

The two had gone out to some places, and Bakura had treated Ryou to ice cream, like so many months ago when Ryou treated Bakura to it. It was slowly getting dark.

"Okay, we're here."

Ryou froze as he reached the top with Bakura. He could see basically the entire town, and if he looked far enough, he could see the faint look of the beach in the distance, the sun slowly going down at the edge of the landscape.

"…Oh…"

Bakura hid a smile as Ryou stared out at it, the two watching the sunset, and finally, Ryou spoke. "I…I want to stay…"

Bakura blinked, looking down at him.

"W-When we were fighting…I was thinking about leaving, but…but now…I don't want to leave, and I don't want you to leave, a-and…and…" Ryou broke into tears.

Bakura's expression softened slightly, and blushing slightly, pulled Ryou into a hug. Ryou's eyes widened in shock, but he slowly relaxed a little, crying into Bakura's chest. "…I won't leave. I promise…" Bakura whispered.

Ryou whimpered softly as Bakura began to sing softly again, the song slowly calming the boy down, and he stopped crying. Bakura released him then, "Better?"

Ryou nodded, wiping his eyes.

"Good. Now, come on. We need to get home."

Bakura hauled the angel onto his back, the thief's wings spreading as he took off, Ryou smiling to himself, a few feathers coming loose and drifted in the November breeze, Bakura flying off into the night.

"Bakura?" Ryou asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"…I…I still want to know a little more about your past."

"…Let's save that for another time, Ryou…" Bakura said softly, starting to sing quietly, and Ryou, who had been taught most of the words, began to sing along in a soft voice, slowly getting off of Bakura's back. The two began to fly at their own pace back towards what they called home…

"_Demon's moon and angel's sun…" _Bakura whispered, translating one of the lines into English. _"Or, perhaps…maybe that's only backwards…"_

Ryou smiled brightly, barely containing a squeak as Bakura's hands locked about his arms, letting Ryou dangle beneath him as he flew, the teenager's body swinging back and forth.

Bakura's arm muscles tensed slightly, and he smiled down at the teenager, Ryou giggling a little, and looked up at Bakura. Ryou's eyes were filled with what Bakura took as happiness, tears near pouring down Ryou's cheeks.

"…_It doesn't matter what they are or what they show, as long as you figure out the most important thing…"_

The moon was hanging above them, allowing plenty of light. Feathers began to drift in the wind as they came loose, the two albinos' soft voices filling the night as they sung quietly to themselves, Ryou's tears trickling down his cheeks as his chin trembled. "Thank you…for everything…"

Bakura nodded in silence, still quietly singing, and Ryou looked down at the little town beneath them, a smile spreading across his lips. Bakura finally let the teen go, the two flying side by side. Their gazes locked again.

_You don't have to be afraid to cry._

Ryou blinked, reading it in Bakura's eyes. He smiled again, his eyes widening as his wings went out, Bakura quickly grabbing his arm. Ryou's eyes were wide as Bakura hoisted Ryou up, heaving Ryou into his arms as he flew. And soon, Ryou fell asleep in the demon's arms, Bakura's expression softening a little, noticing a small smile on Ryou's lips, the angel's face taking on a look of sheer innocence.

Bakura closed his eyes for a minute, and reopened them, small tears forming in the corners of the thief's eyes, slowly going down his cheeks.

Bakura smiled again, feathers moving about as the rays of moonlight lit up the two boys' figures, and Bakura began to sing again, louder, his voice still soft. _"Just find what makes them happy… I'm sure they wouldn't want it any other way…"_

* * *

Chapter 20: End.

THE END...

Well, I have to say, I just couldn't resist putting some things in here, like the part with the marshmallows and the part with Bakura and that tight shirt of his... -grins- Bakura IS hot, people. Don't deny it. xD

I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I have writing it! I hope to hear from you guys again when Part III comes!

Much love!

-Clouded-Days


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